The planet’s population is seven and a half billion and growing every year.
By 2050, it’s estimated to be close to 10 billion.
This population boom will be dominated by one continent,
Africa.
In just 30 years, the U.S. will be overtaken by Nigeria
to become the world’s third most populated country behind China and India.
And by the end of the 21st century,
four billion people will live in Africa, making up 36% of the world’s population.
Africa has the second largest population after Asia, but it's far less dense than Europe’s.
So if it has the space to accommodate more people, then why are so many analysts worried?
Because they believe Africa doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle it.
In Nigeria, the National Population Commission says this increase,
Add in an extra billion or so people in the next 30 years and you have a big problem.
And it’s not just Africa that will face the consequences.
The reason for Africa’s rapid population growth is down to improvements in public health care,
which has not only increased life expectancy,
but also led to an inspiring decrease in the number of deaths amongst babies and infants.
While sub-Saharan women are having less children than 50 years ago,
it hasn’t prevented the dramatic upsurge in populace.
Many experts warn that African birth rates are too high and that family planning programs,
designed to increase education and prosperity for women, haven’t had the same attention,
resulting in only some, if not any, reduction in fertility rates.
This has largely come down to the reluctance by men to use contraception due to
religious teachings, social norms and misinformation about the side effects.
Some activists, however, argue that Western NGOs and governments
are discussing African population reduction,
not because the continent is unable to feed its two billion people,
but because those same Western governments want to preserve African resources for their own people instead.
The U.S. and Europe consume 80% of the world's natural resources,
but represent under 15% of the world’s population.
Western nations, particularly in Europe, may also be motivated by the ongoing migration crisis.
Europe has witnessed unprecedented levels of migration arriving on its Mediterranean coastline
following the Arab Spring in 2011 and the ongoing Syrian civil war.
And as the African population grows, the influx of migrants looks set to intensify.
In Africa the side-effects are numerous from pressures on food and water supplies
to an increased threat of corruption at local and national levels.
So what are the solutions?
It’s called a "demographic dividend."
Governments across sub-Saharan Africa will be hoping that fast population growth
will create a young workforce that can drive economic growth.
But, that can only happen if there are enough jobs for them to fill.
According to recent research,
between 18 and 20 million jobs will need to be created across the continent over the next 25 years.
And if that doesn’t happen, millions of unemployed young people
will become a perfect recruiting environment for both militant Islamist group,
Boko Haram, and human traffickers selling dreams of a better life in Europe.
So where do the jobs come from?
Some countries are focusing on an industrial revolution, turning farmers and fishermen into makers.
Ethiopia for instance is the fastest growing economy on the continent
and it’s all built on massive infrastructure investment.
They now have brand new six-lane highways, electric railways and vast social housing estates.
But in Nigeria’s largest city Lagos, the need for new housing has created new problems.
Vast slums in the megacity have been bulldozed to make way for luxury high-rise apartments,
despite alleged court orders to halt the destruction.
Authorities argue that people are being resettled and compensation is being paid,
but rising inequality is a real concern.
The fact remains that with millions still living in poverty and a population that is set to rise at a dramatic rate,
the continent will face serious challenges.
Regardless of their motivations, both non-African and African nations have a role to play
to turn the continent’s rapid population growth into a positive, more modern, sustainable environment.
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