Statistically, the population of Ghana is estimated at 29.6 million in 2018, up from the 24.5 million in 2010 and 6.7 million in 1960 during the 2010 Population and Housing Census. World Population Review, also indicates 29,518,843 as Ghana’s population in 2018 with one birth every 36 seconds recording 2,411per day as compare to one death every 2 minutes recording 631per day. There is also one net migrant every 26 minutes with a net gain of one person every 50 seconds. There are about 375,000 registered legal permanent residents in Ghana as well as foreign workers and students excluding immigrants.
Recent changes in population structures can have a major impact on human welfare and the environment. According to the Population Council in Ghana, many developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, continue to face rapid population growth and other barriers to social and economic development. The Council also stated that the poorest parts of the world will see continued population growth of more than 70 million per year as the population of sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase by more than 1 billion by 2050. High unemployment and inequality among rapidly growing young populations are contributing to poor economic prospects. In the developed world, very low fertility and rising longevity are resulting in rapid population aging, increasing the costs of social welfare programs for the elderly. The Council research documents the link between population and development and explores the effect of population growth on societies, families, and individuals. The core mandate of the Council is to assist developing-country Governments in identifying appropriate policies to benefit their population and reach national goals. This includes family planning programs to reduce unintended pregnancy and investments in girls’ education to delay age of marriage and early childbearing.
Currently, the National Population Council (NPC) is pushing for the enforcement of a policy that will enjoin couples to give birth to a maximum of three babies as a resolute measure to control population growth. According to the NPC, the main targets for the population policy were to reduce the total fertility rate thus, the number of children a woman is likely to have during her reproductive years; from 5.5 to 5.0 by 2000, 4.0 by 2010 and 3.0 by 2020. The council is also proposing that severe sanctions should be imposed on couples who will exceed the stipulated three babies.
But despite criticisms by some Ghanians that Government should not channel it’s frustrations with the implementation of free SHS on Ghanaian couples. Others have also wounder why Government want to regulate what goes on in their bedrooms instead of focusing on more important matters to address. But the Executive Director of the NPC, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah retorted speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, that the current annual growth rate of 2.5% posed a threat to national development. She therefore asked the government to review and synchronise the free maternal health policy with the target of the total fertility rate, which advocated 3 children for every family. Population growth in the country currently appears to be uncontrolled, with some couples having more than 10 children. But Dr Appiah said couples must be made to bear the social cost of every child outside the stipulated three.“The taxpayer must not be made to bear the cost of additional children by families who exceed the three children. And even when their parents die they become orphans as a burden on the government “No, it should not be a burden on the state and so we must review our social intervention programmes to reflect this policy,” she said.
Speaking on the sidelines on Joynews, Dr Appiah explained “When there is free SHS and because it is overcrowded, you will take your children to private school’s, Paying for NHIL yet people go to private hospitals”. She cited an example of a woman whom she knew had children in the basic school from class 1 to 6 and these children go to school hungry with no books. She added, you cannot be educated on an empty stomach. As policy gives direction and is always evidence based, if it is quality that we want, then we have to look at how to reproduce but if it’s in terms of the numbers then we can go ahead. Hence there is always a balance between production and reproduction as life is about balancing. She continued and state that, the higher the birth order, the higher the mortality. Because above 3 mortality is high and this has economic, health and a lot of implications even as stated in the Demographic and Health Survey report. With a quote, a healthy nation has healthy people, she said, “we should have people’s interest at heart and treat them with dignity. Suggesting family planning to help better care of children. She also adviced that if you are not getting pregnant in good succession, you can breastfeed for 2 years which is good for the child and you can have time for the child. Hence let’s have the debate and let’s see whether it will help us or not, she said.
The Executive Director of the NPC claims that it is not the numbers but the structures. As she cited an example of Mauritius where they implemented an aggressive population policy where they were about 700,000 compared to less than 2 million today. Although they have the highest last life expectancy rate in Africa, and even though they were 700,000 they were growing at a rate between 3 to 4% therefore, is the rate of growth that counts.
Some experts also agree with the Executive Director of NPC on the same platform. The Regional Director of the International Plan Parenting for Africa (IPPA), Lucien Kouako thinks People turn to be more impoverished the higher the number of dependence they had citing China’s population measures. He said, “The Chinese did it with 1 baby in a family and if you have a second one, then you have to pay more than that. It have been there for the last 30years, he said. The Regional Director of IPPA aalso noted that, some people give birth expecting the Government to play a role as parents.
Similarly, the Family Health Physician and co-founder of Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, Fred Sai, also think likewise, saying that, “if you make education reasonably accessible, which the Government is trying to do with the free SHS programme, other information about health and children’s health especially maternal mortality should be easily available as NHIA was introduce with free maternity”. He said, notwithstanding the fact that “if you make maternity free and you don’t make family planning easily available and free services, then, what you are saying is that women should have children. He also noted that, the free services must be limited as Singapore did by implementing a law of having 2 children which caters for maternity care. But after 2 children you have to take care of them yourself including their education. The Health Physician said he agrees with the Executive Director of NPC that all she is suggesting is let’s make this a social goal like education and women’s empowerment. “We cannot develop the country with roads, infrastructure and so on, if you make fertility anytime”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Population Council is suggesting family planning as the only option to minimize population growth causing strain on the resources of the country. The Council stated categorically that, When women have access to family planning, everyone benefits as women and children are healthy. Families and communities can invest more in education and health care causing a reduction in poverty to attain Goal 1 of the SDGs of eradicating poverty. Family planning has the power to save lives, yet 214 million women in the developing world who don’t want to be pregnant are not using modern contraception. They may lack access to contraceptive options, may face family or community opposition to family planning, or may be concerned about potential or real side effects.
Despite the side effects of family planning some people have raised over the years, the Population Council for 65 years, has been changing the way the world thinks about voluntary family planning. Today, there is renewed global support for high-quality programs that provide information, services, and contraceptive supplies. Currently, the Council is leading a five-country, six-year research consortium to generate policy relevant evidence that improves access to family planning in Ghana, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, and Senegal.
The NPC boss gave a caveat by asking the government to first ensure family planning service is easily made available, accessible and affordable. She reiterated that “We need to balance between reproduction and production because some of our policies are at variance with the population policy”. Dr Appiah expressed fears that Ghana’s population would double 28 years from now at the current annual growth rate of 2.5 per cent. As Ghana’s population has grown by more than 23 million people since the country attained independence in 1957 when its population was about six million. Dr Appiah, who is a medical doctor, recommended optimal birth spacing of between 2 and 4 years, as stipulated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity and the low birth rate. Maternal mortality increases with higher birth rate, and when it is properly controlled it can reduce stunted growth among children. Indicators from the United Nations World Population Review Report in 2017 about growing population estimate that life expectancy for females in Ghana is 64 years, that for males is 62.1 years, with the fertility rate at 3.8 children per woman.
Chief Statistician with the Ghana Statistical Service, David Kombat disclosed that, Ghana have a youthful population of 38.8% and if provided with education, skills training it will help to create educated workforce that can increase the fortunes of the country. If that is done, we will be working toward Demographic Dividend, he said speaking on the sidelines to Ghanaian Times. He explained demographic dividend as an opportunity opened to the country, as a result of the youthful population to accelerate its socio-economic development from skillful and well-trained labour force.
Mr Kombat, who is the Census Coordinator, said preparations are underway to conduct the 2020 population census with mapping out of the country into enumeration zones and the selection of topics to be investigated. The Chief Statistician said since Ghana had subscribed to the Sustainable Development Goals, there was the need for broad stakeholder engagement, to agree on the thematic areas to investigate to generate data for national development planning.
This, he said, would help to take cognizance of the country’s obligations to eradicate poverty, ensuring gender equity, justice and climate change, to be achieved by 2030 as required under the SDGs agenda. Topics often captured in census are sex, age and distribution to inform the age structure of the population, housing characteristic, literacy and education, marital status, fertility and reproductive health, disability, employment and economic characteristics and information technology.
Prince Schroeder
