Wa Central MP to Speak at UN conference on population
The President of the African Parliamentarians Forum on Population and Development, Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, is scheduled to address the dynamics of Africa's increasing population figures at the 30th anniversary of the UN Conference on Population and Development in Norway later this year.
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The invitation was delivered by the UNFPA country representative on Population and Development, Dr. Wilfred Ochan, last Friday in Accra.
He is expected to provide insight into the true situation in Africa and discuss what MPs on the continent are doing to assist various governments in addressing it.
Dr. Pelpuo, MP for Wa Central and the Chairman of the Population and Development Caucus in Ghana's parliament, told Graphic Online after receiving the invitation that population increases were unprecedented in history. "But the problem of population is not simply a problem of numbers; it is a problem of human welfare and development."
"Rapid population growth can have serious consequences for the well-being of humanity worldwide," he said.
Dr. Pelpuo has previously shared his thoughts on this issue at high-level Parliamentarians meetings in Juba, South Sudan, and Uganda. In South Sudan, he highlighted the challenges faced by parliamentarians, including poor health services, low education attainment, unemployment, poor infrastructure, poverty, and hunger. "We still have the task of empowering our communities for better livelihoods. The hope of the community lies in the legislative arm, diligently carrying out its legislative function and advocating for better services in the interest of Africa's population," he stated.
He urged his fellow MPs to use their representative and legislative roles to empower their communities to access better services and understand and appreciate their rights.
In Uganda, where he addressed population growth and food security, Dr. Pelpuo emphasized that Africa's population was not being managed properly. He pointed out that the populations of Uganda and Kenya were skyrocketing and needed extra efforts to address them.
Dr. Pelpuo highlighted the significant population disparities between Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya, noting that while Ghana's population was around 32 million as of 2023, Uganda's and Kenya's were 47 million and 55 million, respectively.
He warned that there was a direct relationship between population growth and food security and cautioned that without proper management, the youth could end up impoverished, leading to mass migration to Europe and America in search of better opportunities.
