The 3rd China-Africa Conference on Population and Development is underway in Accra.
The Conference is under the theme: ’25 years of International Conference on Population and Development, ICPD: Population Data Management and Universal Access to Reproductive Health as key Drivers of Sustainable Development.’
Participants are discussing Population data management and sustainable development within the context of south-south cooperation.
Opening it, Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng said the availability and use of timely and reliable population data is indispensable for planning, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and for measuring progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
He said ” in many African countries the demographic and health surveys have generated reliable information on fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health and nutrition.”
In Ghana, he observed that other surveys such as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and the Ghana Labour Force Survey have all provided important population data for planning and decision-making.
The Vice President Dr. Bawumia however, noted that collection and analysis of data are expensive, rigorous and time consuming exercise.
To this end, he urged participants to continue to find innovative ways to improve data production systems especially civil registration systems and the use of administrative data, saying in some countries the structures for collecting these data are already available and may not require any additional expenditure or personnel.
Vice President Dr. Bawumia emphasized that “the population of every country is both the object and architect of development.”
Hence, the use of data to make evidence-based decisions is critical, especially in low and middle income countries where there are several competing demands on the limited available resources.
He expressed appreciation to UNFPA for its work globally aimed at addressing family and population related challenges that confront nations.
He said the conference presents a remarkable opportunity for participating countries to share what is best in their countries and strengthen partnerships and commitment around issues of population management to improve the livelihoods of their citizens.
The UN Under Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem entreated African countries to learn lessons from the Chinese experience and devise ways of controlling population growth and work towards women and girls empowerment by ensuring zero female genital mutilation, FGM and Child marriage among other abuses that are meted out to women and girls.
She said girls in Africa deserve special attention and urged participants to double their efforts at ensuring that girls and women are not left behind in the development of their countries.
She emphasized the need to let science and technology take centre stage in the implementation of population and development programmes.
Dr. Kanem said UNFPA will continue to play its roles in the attainment of the SDGs relating to population and development across Africa and the other parts of the World.
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Shi Ting Wang said the Chinese government is willing to share experiences with African countries on population and development related issues.
China took comprehensive measures to control population size and improve the quality of its human capital.
By the end of the 1990s, following the implementation of a progressive family planning policy, there was a historic transition from a high birth, low death and high growth rate to a low birth, low death and low growth rate.
Presently, China and Africa form about one-third of the World’s over seven billion population.
According to Ambassador Wang Ghana-China cooperation is expected to expand on all fronts, adding that the Chinese government is ready to assist Ghana in addressing its population related challenges.
Ghana, he noted is China’s seventh largest trading partner in Africa and all efforts will be made to enhance bilateral ties between the two countries.
The conference he explained is a showcase of the continuous China-Africa cooperation.
The Minister for Planning for Ghana, Prof. George Gyan-Baffour said lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services and information contributes to high levels of morbidity and mortality for preventable reproductive health problems in developing countries.
He stated that every year half a million women die during childbirth because there are no skilled attendants available in some communities, adding that insufficient provision of condoms has contributed to the spread of sexually transmitted infections.
Prof. Gyan-Baffour encouraged participants at the conference to discuss ways of mobilising resources domestically and within the context of the south-south cooperation for effective implementation of population and development programmes.
Delegates from 28 African countries, development partners and key Chinese institutions involved in population and development issues are participating in the conference.
Story by Dominic Hlordzi.
