The United Nations Population Fund has emphasised the need for the private sector to be involved in efforts towards harnessing demographic dividends in Nigeria.
This is borne out of the recent world population surge of 7.7 billion and the urgent need to work towards sustainable population growth.
The United Nations estimates that the world’s population has reached 7.7 Billion and there is a projected estimation of 10 Billion by 2050.
With a population estimated at 200 million, Nigeria makes up 2.6 % of the global head count, and occupies 7th position.
According to scientists, it took the world 200,000 years to reach 1 Billion, but population has geometrically skyrocketed to the present estimation, in just 200 years.
With this figure, there is the need to ensure sustainable population growth.
The role of the private sector in ensuring that demographic dividend is enhanced remains on the front burner.
A surge in world population is perceived to lead to land degradation, human congestion, high energy consumption, pollution, weather modification and other factors.
The United Nations Population Fund’s High Impact Private Sector Summit on the theme, “Sustainable Population Growth, Demographic Dividend and the Future of Nigeria: The Role of the Private Sector”, raises a discourse for the needful to be done.