Thursday, May 1, 2008

East Africa's population on a Tellific Speed

A UN report has predicted that many east African nations will see a population boom with the number of people dying of AIDS expected to fall steeply.If the estimations prove true, millions more people will be living in the area which could serve to aid the economy and drag many countries out of the poverty cycle.According to the UN research, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will all see a rise in population in the years to come, with the latter's predicted to treble by 2050.The study also said that Africans living in these countries are likely to survive for longer as treatments for diseases improve and become more accessible.This sudden population growth could also give a much needed boost to the economy of east Africa and could see it become one of the fastest developing places on earth.Despite this, the UN has raised concerns that the countries may not be prepared for the steep increase in residents, with the average standard of living unlikely to improve hugely on what it is today. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, has said in the past, however, that he is unconcerned about the possible population growth.He said at a conference last year: "I am not one of those worried about the population explosion." Mr Museveni added that he saw the estimated rise in the number of people in the country as "a great resource". Uganda, which achieved independence from the UK in 1962, already has around 25 million people living in the county.

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