Since its institution in 1989, World Population Day on 11 July has drawn attention to the Earth's rising population, and the demographic and social trends accompanying it. These serious and complex matters address the opportunities and hurdles confronting countries' development aspirations. Nowhere is this of more profound - even existential - importance than in Africa. Today, Africa is estimated to be home to well over 1.1 billion people.
According to the US-based Population Reference Bureau, this will rise to 1.6 billion by 2030 - and to a staggering 2.4 billion by 2050. In 35 years, Africa's population will more than double-- within the lifespan of the continent's current youth. This, too, will be the backdrop against which the African Union's (AU) long-term development blueprint, Agenda 2063, hopes to be realised.
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