Over – Population and the Crises of Hunger and Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Way Out

Abstract

Although poverty can hardly be desirable by anyone the world over, population, on the other hand, is one phenomenon very much desired, especially by Africans. This love for excessive procreation invariably leads to over-population. The thesis of this paper, however, is that taken together, these social twin are sure channels to hunger in sub-saharan Africa. Our forebears procreated profusely in their attempt to have enough hands to work on the land. With the change in the general trend of children preferring education and other endeavours to farming, agriculture has generally been relegated to the background and more and more farmers are opting for other more profitable means of livelihood. Many governments have shouted themselves hoarse trying to sensitize the masses that the less the population, the better our chances in tackling poverty and hunger that have become the unfortunate trademarks of the African continent. To conquer hunger and poverty, Africans mist reduce their population growth-rate.

SOPHIA: An African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 9 (1) 2006: pp. 112-115