Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Contain unbridled population growth!!

Population growth everywhere has implications for the general life of the affected area.

That is to say, every sector of the life of the area would have some advantages if the society planned for the growth, or chaos would set in where there was no planning to contain the growth.

Therefore, the information put out by the University of Ghana Regional Institute of Population Studies (RIPS) that Ghana’s population is projected to increase by 20 million by 2050 should be treated by the state as a call to prepare for the situation.

No one should mince words to say that Ghana is a place where successive governments have failed to plan for sustainable life across the country.

A critical look at what governments over the last 40 years, for instance, have done are mostly projects they can immediately gain personal financial benefits from and as well trumpet them to attract votes to retain them in power.

Amenities like schools, hospitals, roads, and so-described affordable housing are good, but check their spread or distribution.

According to the RIPS, the country’s population of 30.8 million in 2021 has grown to 33,007,618 million currently, and with that growth rate, the figure will hit about 53 million in the next 26 years.

Since the population structure comprises children, youth, and the elderly, the needs of these categories of people would obviously increase.

What is happening currently with the 33 million people is overwhelming, and so we can envisage a worse situation with 53 million; hence, the status quo must change for a sustainable life in the country.

Such planning must take a critical look at the current challenges and find solutions to them, as it is done elsewhere.

The first step is to look at all the factors that drive the unbridled population growth in the country, which are fanned by the country’s culture of the people desiring many children.

The saying that once you have the means, you can have any number of children is outdated and must be dealt with in order to limit related repercussions on the whole society.

Mauritius, for instance, at a time in its history, used improved female educational status and active family planning programs to ensure a decline in population growth.

What tools can Ghana use?

Yes, everyone can talk about such solutions as creating jobs for the youth and providing more infrastructure and social amenities, but it appears these solutions are proffered without much thought about the factor that can allow for them: land.

The poor land management in the country makes even a slim growth in population risky for a sustainable life here.

Everything points to the fact that there are no reserved places for amenities in communities and for farming, and spatial planning is worse.

It is sad that even new communities not controlled by estate developers lack roads and other thoroughfares, and what is more worrying is that planning is more horizontal than vertical, which means there is no maximum use of the land in the building sector in particular.

It is more important now than ever before that the government itself take population growth and its repercussions more seriously and do all it can to inculcate that same seriousness in the people to contain the unbridled population growth and its negative impacts that can undermine sustainable life in the country.