Attaining the dream population for Uganda

As Makerere releases more job-hungry youth into the already flooded market, un-employment will only get worse. But this, experts argue stems from one thing; a high population. The Uganda Bureau of Statics 2013's abstract report, tells of a population has grown from 9.5 million in 1969 to over 35.3 million in 2013.

 
At this pace, the United Nation's population Division in its 2013 report told of expectations for it to reach a whopping 83 million in 2040. With a minute decline in fertility rate from 7.1 in 1969 to 6.2 in 2013 and now 5.9, about half of the population is less than 15 years old, and over 70% of it is less than 30 years.  This experts believe is where the bumps in the strides towards the dream population, or as they call it, the demographic dividend, will begin.

How to get there

When talking demographic dividend, expert use a comparison of tree planting, and they say; the best time to plant your trees was 20 years ago, and if you haven't, then the best time is now.

Dr. JB Sekamatte, the head of population and social sector planning at the National Planning Authority says that all a population like Uganda needs is a population growth that stands firmly on a replacement level of 2.

The replacement level he says, is the ability of a population to replace itself, therefore, if less than 2, then such population is said to be declining.

"We put it at two because we assume it takes a man and woman to make a child, so two children will replace these two individuals," he explains. A generation is estimated to be about 30 years, and within that time, humans are thought to be adult enough to have started a new generation who are still children.


Sadly, in Uganda's case, a generation is tending towards half of the recommended time with peaking teenage pregnancy levels standing at 24%, as per last year's state of Uganda's population report 2013.

To halt teenage pregnancies, Charles Zirarema the director Population Secretariat advises that even priority ought to be put in Education. "We have learned that when girls stay in school longer, they will delay pregnancy. So even if they got pregnant, we need to strive to take them back to school instead of marrying them off," he says.
 

But as we strive for Education, Mondo Kyatika, the assistant commissioner youth development at ministry of Gender, Labor and social development advises that we ensure completion and quality.

Giving a case study of Universal primary Education's enrollment level which stands at 96% and a completion level of 56%, he argued that such were evidence of something gone wrong. "So yes, we may need more money in education, but not just any Education, quality education!" he advises.


Therefore, Dr. Ismail Ndifuna a team leader at UNFPA advises that to attain the demographic dividend, the youth ought to be highly skilled. "We should note that human capital becomes human resource only when we add value to it," he says.


Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa, the director National Planning Authority says that it starts with exposure.

"Let us ensure the children stay in school. Improve the quality of our education, that way, they will appreciate what we are talking about," he says. He noted that reforms in education, health, family planning, and governance, will definitely help fasten the growth.