According to United Nations (UN) models, the world population hit 8 billion in 2022. A sizable share of the total, around 1.3 billion people, live in Africa. This demographic is projected to grow substantially over the coming decades.

By 2050, the UN projects the African population to reach 2.5 billion people, nearly doubling current-day estimates. If this comes about, the number of humans on the continent will have 12x’ed in the span of a century.

Both opportunities and challenges accompany explosive population growth.

While some foresee a dystopian future, others consider a rapidly expanding population as an opportunity for growth and development. Whether the outcome turns out positive or negative depends on which measures African governments will take in the decades to come.

Importantly, African youth should be invested in by the ruling class. An estimated 580 million children account for around 47 per cent of the African continent’s inhabitants. Governments must take action to ensure that these children turn into educated and healthy adults who will constitute the backbone of future prosperous societies. Failing to do so is a recipe for disaster.

The window of opportunity for governments to act is narrow because a country’s population structure is only favourable for fast economic growth for a limited time.

If Africa misses the opportunity, and children age without receiving the means to develop themselves, poverty and instability will be the result.

Destitution and conflict are caused by unregulated fast population growth for various reasons. Importantly, as the number of people increases, the demand for goods, including food and medical products goes up. If production does not grow in tandem with the population, shortages ensue, and unrest tends to follow.

In addition, rapid population growth tends to affect the environment negatively. Constructing houses and infrastructure for a booming population takes space and resources. Oftentimes, nature has to make a way when humans multiply.

Deforestation in particular is a worrying trend linked to population growth. For example, in Africa, a forested area the size of the Netherlands is cut down every year. This, in turn, threatens animal populations.

In view of the many problems caused by quickly growing populations, many African countries are taking measures to limit growth, with some having done so for decades.

The Egyptian government, for example, started implementing a policy to limit the number of children per woman in 1962. These efforts have been relatively successful. As a result, the average number of children per Egyptian woman fell from 6.7 in 1950 to 3.1 in 2023.

The Egyptian government does not consider this drop in fertility sufficient and is planning further measures to reduce population growth. It promotes having no more than two children, and there are plans to implement a two-child cap for welfare recipients.

Then there are African countries that need help to slow down their population growth. Many of these are situated in sub-Saharan Africa, including the nations of Niger, Mali, and Nigeria.

Niger’s demographics in particular, are exploding. With an average of 6.5 children per woman, the country has the world’s highest birth rate. Although, in Niger, having a lot of children is culturally ideal, Nigerien women want an average of nine children, while men want 11.

This drive to have many children is causing some unusual phenomena, for example, half of Nigeriens being under the age of 15.

If current birth rates persist, Niger’s population is expected to double every 17 years. This is, of course, not desirable.

It is the responsibility of African governments to ensure that their populations develop in sustainable ways. For example, promoting education and the use of contraceptives can help slow down growth. In addition, they could also implement policies to encourage people to have fewer children like the Egyptian government.

Much of what African governments can do comes down to the earlier-mentioned task of ensuring that today’s youth turn into educated and healthy adults who uplift their societies.