Uganda seriously warned

Researchers have warned that the unchecked Population growth would affect/undo the progress that the country has made.  Large population strains both social and economic infrastructure resulting into the decline of Uganda’s economy.

A body that advises the government on population growth policy issues, the Population Secretariat emphasizes that there is need for effective planning to ensure that the rapid population growth does not turn into a demographic burden.

UNFPA and the Population Secretariat in Kampala have highlighted seven key matters that countries facing high population growth issues like Uganda should take consider seriously. They include involving youth in planning and decision-making, keeping girls in schools, involving males in family planning and ensuring that every pregnancy is wanted and safe. Others are focusing on youth skills and development, ensuring a healthy environment for the people and their environment and planning for urbanization.

“Uganda at 33million: Time to act” is a theme set by the Population Secretariat as an effort to curb down the rate of population increase in Uganda. The Champaign will aim at soliciting for 33million actions that will help address the seven key issues from all the 33million Ugandans.

United Nations Association of Uganda (UNAU) is taking part in helping curb this problem; so far it has taken the initiative to inform the youth about the current situation. That is, in the UMUN conference held on 8th and 9th of July at Nkumba University young people were informed of the current world population and Uganda’s population respectively. The organization made a newsletter “UNAU newsletter” where the youth will be advised and encouraged on how to reduce on the current population growth rate. For example the youth were interviewed about ways to reduce the high growth rate and their views were aired out to the rest of the nation by some of the media houses that were present at the Uganda Model UN conference.

The 2009 state of the World Population report by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) showed that Uganda’s population was at 32.7million marking an increase from 31.9million people in 2008. The report also indicates that Uganda’s current population growth rate is at 3.3 per cent, a rise from 3.2 per cent last year this puts Uganda among the first five countries of high population growth rate in the world, it’s ranked third after Niger and Yemen.

October this year the worlds’ population will clock 7billion, while Uganda’s will hit 33million. According to the Population Reference Bureau, a US- based non-profit organization, Uganda is one of the countries with high population growth rate in the world and its population is anticipated to be 56million by 2025.