Africa's Population: In Search of a Demographic Dividend

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxv

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2. Introduction

   • Hans Groth, John F. May

   Pages 1-8

3. Sub-Saharan Africa’s Population: Country and Regional Case Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9

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   2. Africa’s Population: History, Current Status, and Projections

      • Jean-Pierre Guengant

      Pages 11-31

   3. Reaping a Demographic Dividend in Africa’s Largest Country: Nigeria

      • Emmanuel Jimenez, Muhammad Ali Pate

      Pages 33-51

   4. The Second Biggest African Country Undergoing Rapid Change: Ethiopia

      • Assefa Hailemariam

      Pages 53-69

   5. The Third Biggest African Country: The Democratic Republic of the Congo

      • David Shapiro, Basile O. Tambashe, Anatole Romaniuk

      Pages 71-86

   6. A Case of An Almost Complete Demographic Transition: South Africa

      • Tom A. Moultrie

      Pages 87-99

   7. Fertility Transitions and Schooling Dividends in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Experience of Vanguard Countries

      • Parfait M. Eloundou-Enyegue, Noah Hirschl

      Pages 101-111

   8. Countries with Fertility Transitions in Progress

      • Jean-François Kobiané, Moussa Bougma

      Pages 113-129

   9. Countries with Slow and Irregular Fertility Transitions

      • Gervais Beninguisse, Liliane Manitchoko

      Pages 131-145

   10. Countries with Very Slow or Incipient Fertility Transition

       • Hamidou Issaka Maga, Jean-Pierre Guengant

       Pages 147-164

   11. Demographic Challenges of the Sahel Countries

       • John F. May, Jean-Pierre Guengant, Vincent Barras

       Pages 165-177

4. Drivers of the Demographic Dividend

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 179-179

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   2. The Demographic Dividend: A Potential Surplus Generated by a Demographic Transition

      • Vincent Turbat

      Pages 181-195

   3. African Fertility Changes

      • Bruno Schoumaker

      Pages 197-211

   4. Access to Family Planning and Women’s Health

      • Ndola Prata

      Pages 213-224

   5. Manpower, Education, Skills and Jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa: Past Trends and Future Outlook

      • Nicholas Eberstadt

      Pages 225-250

   6. Marriage Patterns and the Demographic Dividend

      • Dominique Meekers, Anastasia J. Gage

      Pages 251-265

   7. Mortality, Health, and Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa

      • Bruno Masquelier, Almamy Malick Kanté

      Pages 267-281

This book examines the promises as well as the challenges the demographic dividend brings to sub-Saharan Africa as fertility rates in the region fall and the labor force grows. It offers a detailed analysis of what conditions must be met in order for the region to take full economic advantage of ongoing population dynamics.

As the book makes clear, the region will need to accelerate reforms to cope with its demographic transition, in particular the decline of fertility. The continent will need to foster human capital formation through renewed efforts in the areas of education, health and employment. This will entail a true vision and determination on the part of African leaders and their development partners.

The book will help readers to gain solid knowledge of the demographic trends and provide insights into socioeconomic policies that eventually might lead sub-Saharan Africa into a successful future.

• Demographic Dividend
• Demographic patterns and trends
• Demographic transition
• Fertility
• Socioeconomic policies
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Population policies
• Geopolitics
• Women's Education
• Governance & transparency
• development policy

“This multidisciplinary text involves 49 specialists in demography, public health, sociology, economics, finance, political science, and geography. The illuminating tome provides regional case studies, theoretical issues on the demographic dividend and its drivers, and challenges in health, climate change, urbanization, migration, and related issues. … Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.” (G. Emeagwali, Choice, Vol. 55 (6), February, 2018)

• World Demographic & Ageing Forum (WDA Forum), St. Gallen, Switzerland

  Hans Groth

• Population Reference Bureau (PRB), Washington, DC, USA

  John F. May

Hans Groth is the Chairman of the Board of the World Demographic and Ageing Forum (WDA-Forum). A medical doctor by training, he has been working with Pfizer Inc. for 24 years, until 2013. In 2003, he was appointed “Pfizer Global Health Fellow” by UNAIDS to conduct case studies in Central Asia and Siberia in order to quantify the threat potential of HIV/AIDS/TB in that region. For the past fifteen years Hans Groth has been studying the interaction between global demographic change, economic development, wealth and societal stability. Among numerous publications he is the co-editor of the reference book Population Dynamics in Muslim Countries – Assembling the Jigsaw (Springer, 2012).

 

John F. May is a Visiting Scholar at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) in Washington, D.C. and Adjunct Professor of Demography at Georgetown University. For 15 years, he was a lead demographer at the World Bank. He has worked on many population projects around the world for UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, and IUSSP. He earned his doctorate in demography from the University of Paris-V (Sorbonne). His book World Population Policies: Their Origin, Evolution, and Impact (Springer, 2012) received the 2012 Global Media Award of the Population Institute for the best book on population. In March 2013, he was elected an Associate Member of the Belgian Academy of Sciences.

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