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IUSSP 2017 International Population Conference Cape Town, October 29 – November 4, 2017 Theme 19 - Population and Policy Challenges in Africa Coordinator: Alex Chika Ezeh, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Policies Needed to Capture a Demographic Dividend in Sub-Saharan Africa
Hans Groth, MD, World Demographic & Aging Forum (WDA Forum), St. Gallen, Switzerland hgroth@wdaforum.org John F. May, PhD, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA jfm74@georgetown.edu Vincent Turbat, PhD, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA vmt24@georgetown.edu Abstract In recent years, discussions on how to capture a demographic dividend (DD) have come to dominate the discussions on international development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). East Asian countries had benefitted from a DD at the end of the 20th century. Nowadays, the goal is to replicate a similar process in SSA. For this to happen, however, SSA countries will need to put into place a number of policies, which can be differentiated into policies fulfilling necessary conditions and policies fulfilling sufficient conditions required to capture a DD. These necessary and sufficient conditions will be needed to improve not only the Demographic Dependency Ratio (DDR) but also, and more importantly, the Economic Dependency Ratio (EDR) and the Burden Dependency Ratio (BDR). In addition to the formulation and implementation of adequate policies in the area of population, education, health and gender equity, SSA countries will need also to design and implement sound economic policies and improve good governance. To achieve this tall order, it will be crucial to adopt an “integrated approach” in order to foster socio-economic development and muster the full commitment of the African leadership and the donors’ community.