Dr. Abdul Rashid Hassan, Ghana’s Minister for Labor and Employment and President of the African Parliamentarians Forum on Population and Development (APFPD/FPA), has expressed concerns regarding population growth in Africa during a courtesy visit to the Afro-Arab Youth Council in Bumwanya, Kampala. He was warmly welcomed by the Secretary-General, Hon. Dr. Abbas Agaba.
During the visit, Dr. Hassan shared his extensive experience working with youth, emphasizing the urgent need to address the challenges posed by rapid population growth. He noted, “If Uganda and Ghana had almost the same population in 1960, yet Ghana’s population is now around 33 to 34 million while Uganda’s is 45 million, it raises questions. I understand several contributing factors, but we need to be mindful of our population growth.”
Dr. Hassan also highlighted the critical need for population control, stating, “We have been raising alarms in Ghana about how our population has grown from 7 million in 1960 to approximately 33 to 34 million in 2024. This is unacceptable; it has increased too much. Nigeria was 40 million at that time, and today, it exceeds 200 million. Where have these additional 160 million people come from? We truly need to address our population issues.”
Dr. Hassan recounted his lifelong commitment to youth empowerment: “As a young person, I started as a district coordinator. I then became a regional coordinator and later the national organizer of my country from 1999 to 2004. After that, I contested in elections and won. I have been a member of parliament for 20 years now, and I later served as the minister for youth and sports.”
He emphasized that young people have always been a central focus of his work. “Young people have been my priority, even after becoming the minister for private sector development and now the minister for labor. I am deeply concerned about how young people fare in Africa and how we can help them secure jobs.”
