UNFPA urges African countries to embrace Demographic Dividend programme

UNFPA urges African countries to embrace Demographic Dividend programme
By Mustapha Sumaila
Investment
Abuja, Sept. 16, 2018 (NAN) The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on African countries to key in to achieving Demographic Dividend in order to meet 2030 target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UNFPA’s Regional Director of West and Central Africa Regional Office, Dr Mabingue Ngom, made the appeal when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
Ngom explained that there was direct link between SDGs and harnessing the Demographic Dividend (DD).
He said that the DD, like SDGs, was working on four pillars of integrating vital sectors of education, health, job opportunity for the youth and good governance for harnessing the DD.
“Any African country which is not ready to key in will surely be left out in achieving SDGs by 2030.
“As it is in DD, you cannot say you are working only on one sector to meet up the target of 2030 SDGs as all the four vital sectors must be integrated.
“There is need to have policies that are well coordinated, policies that speak to each other in achieving this,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria has signed up to all of these and the country has strong partnership with UNFPA in harnessing DD.
He said that SDGs was all about national vision and national ownership to achieve sustainable development. (NAN)
MS/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola