Nigeria, Ghana and other West African countries on Thursday held a conference in Abuja to address human development issues on the continent such as the challenge of population growth and many others.
In his address at the 23rd meeting of Inter-governmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts for West Africa, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, said the meeting was organised to find solutions to the economic and social development challenges facing the various countries.
He noted that the rationale behind the conference was to address development issues in Africa in health, education, unemployment and income, as well as the challenges of population growth.
Focusing on population growth, Agba said, “For instance, it is estimated that Nigeria’s population will hit over 411 million by 2050 with 65 per cent of the population under the age of 35.
“The high population growth rate is therefore a matter of concern as there is the need to cater for the rising population by stimulating the economy that engenders growth and creates jobs.
“To achieve this, we need to create economic activities that open up productive sectors and take full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement.”
The minister said it was now the duty of experts to identify critical enablers that would move the sub-region forward.
“There is therefore the need to develop and deploy human capital, as well as improve our infrastructure stock for higher productivity and competitiveness,” he stated.
– Punch