Dividend or disaster: New UNICEF report calls for increased investment in growing youth population

Lilongwe, 26 October 2017 – The projected expansion in Africa’s child population will necessitate an increase of 11 million skilled education and health personnel over the next decade if services are to keep pace with the continent’s unprecedented demographic transition, UNICEF said today. In Malawi, the child population is predicted to double from 9 million now to 18 million in 2030, putting increased pressure on already stretched education and health services.

Africa’s child population is projected to increase by 170 million between now and 2030, taking the number of the continent’s under-18s to 750 million. This is according to Generation 2030 Africa 2.0: Prioritizing investment in children to reap the demographic dividend, a new report released by UNICEF on child demographics in Africa and their implications for the continent, and the world.

Malawi is one of the countries that is experiencing rapid growth in child population. According to the Malawi Population and Housing Census (2009), the country has seen an increased population growth rate of 2 percent from 2008 and it is projected to rise to 3 percent in 2030. Currently, Malawi is adding half a million children per year to the population putting pressure on the already stretched public infrastructure.

“Investing in health, nutrition, protection, and education must become an absolute priority for Malawi between now and 2030,” said Johannes Wedenig, UNICEF Malawi Representative. “If we invest in the coming generation, we can give them the skills and opportunities to help lift Malawi out of poverty and develop the economy. Equally, if they are not supported, then we can expect poverty and social instability to worsen.”

Malawi is one of the countries that is experiencing rapid growth in child population. According to the Malawi Population and Housing Census (2009), the country has seen an increased population growth rate of 2 percent from 2008 and it is projected to rise to 3 percent in 2030. Currently, Malawi is adding half a million children per year to the population putting pressure on the already stretched public infrastructure.

“Investing in health, nutrition, protection, and education must become an absolute priority for Malawi between now and 2030,” said Johannes Wedenig, UNICEF Malawi Representative. “If we invest in the coming generation, we can give them the skills and opportunities to help lift Malawi out of poverty and develop the economy. Equally, if they are not supported, then we can expect poverty and social instability to worsen.”

In light of the current growth in child population in Malawi and Africa in general, the Generation 2030 Africa 2.0 report identifies three key issues for investment. These are health care, education, and the protection and empowerment of women and girls.

The report finds that, Malawi needs to capitalize on the demographic dividend by investing in quality education, training and skills development for the youth who make more than two thirds of the population. Globally, education, training and skills development are the core drivers of development as they avail to the country a competitive and productive workforce. Meaningful investments in the health sector are also needed to have a healthy work force.

Overall, Africa will have to train 4.2 million new health workers and 5.8 million new teachers over the next 13 years to meet minimum international standards in health care and education due to the rapidly growing population. In Malawi, this would equate to new 445,000 health workers and 614,000 teachers.

Malawi’s health and education sectors are already overstretched and buckling under the additional weight of a growing child population. Statistics for the health sector show that the country has 3 nurses per 10,000 people. This is well below the World Health Organization recommendation of 10 nurses for every 10,000 people. Although enrolment rates in primary school is high in the country, there has not been enough investments to support the growing numbers of pupils who complete primary school.

Apart from investments in the education and health sector, Malawi need to empower young people, especially girls, to participate fully in community, workplace and political life.

“Malawi’s young population is a critical asset for development if well supported with proper resources. There are good examples from across the globe, which show that with proper investment in the youth, a country like Malawi can reap faster, deeper and longer dividends from its demographic transition,” Wedenig added.

The UNICEF report states that almost half of the continent’s population is under 18 years old, and children comprise the majority of the population in around one third of the 55 African Union member states. On current projections, the number of Africa’s children will top one billion by 2055.

Critically, the Generation 2030 Africa 2.0 report also notes that Africa, including Malawi, can reap a demographic dividend that will see per capita incomes increase by up to four-fold by 2050, if policies which promote job growth are made alongside international and domestic investment in Africa’s economy.

Conversely, if investments do not occur in Africa and Malawi’s youth and children, the once-in-a-generation opportunity of a demographic dividend may be replaced by a demographic disaster, characterized by unemployment and instability.