EDITORIAL
With each Rwandan woman producing an average of 4.6 children during her lifespan, our national fertility rates remain one of the highest in the world. At the same time, our population is growing at the rate of 2.8% every year with the use of any forms of birth control measure (contraceptive) at about 45%.
Even though the use of contraceptives has significantly increased from a mere 4% in 2005 to the current estimates of 45%, more than half of our women (55%) are not using modern birth control facilities. As a result, the country continues to experience rapid population growth that is putting enormous strain on the economy.
To be honest, Rwanda’s population growth is increasingly becoming unsustainable and the faster new rollback measures are put in place, the better for the country’s growth prospects.
First of all, the country is just emerging from the ruins of the past with hardly any resources to write home about. Secondly, Rwanda is a very small country with extremely limited land to sustain the rapid population growth in rural areas. Already with a population of 11 million, Rwanda stands out as one of the most densely populated countries in world when one considers the total land area of the country.
While some African leaders think that a big population means big markets for local goods and services, there are several dangers associated with unsustainable population growth. READ MORE.