Government says the increase in population has caused an in increase in demand for goods and services.
Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources Catherine Namugala says the current demographic and socio-economic development situation of Zambia reveals that there are a number of population concerns that need attention.
Ms. Namugala said government has recognized that distribution, structure, growth rate and demographic processes of the fertility, mortality and migration affect and are in turn affected by development.
She said this during the launch of the 2009 state of the world population report in Lusaka today.
She added that climate change is one of emerging challenges to the potential of the population to contribute to accelerated development and attaining good standard of living and quality of life.
And speaking earlier, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Country Representative Duah Owusu-Sarfo says climate change threatens to deepen poverty levels and increase the suffering of already burdened and vulnerable groups of women and children.
Mr. Owusu-Sarfo said the impact of climate change reveals that men and women are affected differently and that women are most vulnerable to the suffering brought about by climate change.
He added that this is because in many countries women make up a larger share of the agricultural workforce and tend to have fewer access to income.
ZANIS
The single most challenge we face in Zambia is population growth which for a long time has outdone economic growth.The sad part is,there is an inverse relationship between population and economic growths hence appalling per capita figures despite good recorded economic growth.The compounds are the worst breeding areas,mothers and fathers as young as fifteen having multiple kids with no means to support them.A quick look at them reveals poverty and no future for the innocent kids.
Just like the population is increasing while food production levels have almost been the same for a decade
GUYZ, WHERE DOES ONE GET THE LATEST INFO ON SOLWEZI ELECTIONS? BA MMD BA ME-SOO-LER BUSHE TA B.A.L.A.N.Y.A?
I don’t like the fact that population growth is being couched in terms of climate change.
If the government really wanted to do something, they would start making sure everyone has access to land; that there is much more water available for irrigation, by harvesting rainfall, building dams and irrigation works, and designating areas irrigation districts, so water can be kept on the land longer.
They could revive the old farm blocks and help secure food and lower food prices.
And all of this can be done of they tax the mines.
The challenge Zambia has on rapid population growth is under development in rural areas. Development is concentrated in Lusaka only and this has migrated rural dwellers to the city where social amenities cannot contain the growing population. Under development in rural areas and poverty are among other reasons that make people move to where they think they can find bread and butter.Rural poverty is characterised with geographic isolation. Communication channels such as roads, phones etc are also usually bad. Population is not the cause of low living standards in Zambia but under-development. Because of this, what is needed is to achieve rapid development and not reduce population growth. With the attainment of development, the population growth issue will take care of itself.