Population Is a Critical Component in the Development of East African Region

Population is a Critical Component in the Development of East African Region.

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INTRODUCTION

        East Africa is made up of five countries; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. Founded officially in 2000 after the previous collapses in 1967 and 1977, the region has been focusing on developing itself mostly economically and thus improve the development of individual countries in the region.

        According to the recent census, the population of the East African community lies at 143.5 million people. The GDP of the region stands at 110.3 billion US dollars and the literacy levels lies at 73.34% (EAC Facts and Figures Report 2014). With the figures, it is clear to see that the population is the region is one of the critical factors in its development. But how?

        This report will focus on how development has been a critical factor in the development of the region in relation to social-economic development, Education, Urbanization, Agriculture and Environment.

Consequence of Population Growth in East Africa.

        The cost of rapid population growth a cumulative. As the population increases, the food supplies and agriculture production becomes more and accustomed to improvement to meet the increasing population. Secondly, the increasing increase in population means that the dependency ration increases. This means that the countries in the region will be forced to allocate increased resources it food, cloths, housing and education instead of further development programs. Thirdly, there is a serious implication of population growth in the region in terms of productive employment. In comparison to the employment rates in Kenya and, say, Burundi, the fewer the people, the more the employment opportunity.

        On the contrary, a country like Kenya shows more development than Burundi since the availability of labor and higher technological advancement makes it develop at a higher rate than its counterpart. This means that population coupled by other factors can skyrocket the development in a region while slow it in another.

        Other than that, population growth in a region can lead to political and social conflicts among the communities in that region. A good example id the population growth along the L. Vitoria region which has been a focus for conflicts among the fishermen in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. This is an issue brought by the fact that increased population Kenya for example, leads to demand for more fish hence encroaching to the other region.