Uganda is one of the countries with the fastest growing population in the world.

By June, 2012 Uganda’s population was estimated to stand at 34 million. With more than 3,000 babies born in Uganda daily, it has become very difficult for the government, donors and other stakeholders to meet the basic needs of the population.

Projections from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics show that this year alone, close to 1.7 million babies will be born. If we are to go by the doubling principle, in 20 years time (2022) Uganda’s population will be over 60 million people.

And although the population is increasing, the resources are not increasing at the same pace. The country is likely to face great challenges in as far as providing the basic necessities are concerned. For example, the country loses about 2% of land under forest every year.

These forests are lost as result of the increase in demand for land for cultivation and settlement resulting from a rapid population increase. In 2005, Uganda had a total forest area of 3.6m hectares compared to 4.9m hectares in 1990.

Therefore, a big population cannot be an asset to any country if the numbers are not transformed into quality. A quality population can contribute to national development, especially if it is healthy, educated and economically empowered, among other quality benchmarks. We have to plan today to address the social requirements such as health, education, employment and safe water for drinking.

There is also need to focus on each individual’s potential and ability when planning and distributing the country’s scarce resources. One major contributor to Uganda’s high population growth rate is the country’s fertility rate.

On average, a Ugandan woman has 6.2 children in her reproductive cycle. Births that are too many or too close apart keep mothers tied down in the business of nursing pregnancies and/or babies, leaving them with limited time to contribute meaningfully to individual and national development through increased involvement in economic production.

Sections of the public have been calling for a strict fertility regulation policy that dictates the number of children per couple, but Uganda’s multicultural setting makes it difficult for such a radical population control measure to be introduced. Human rights provisions too may not permit this.

Instead, couples could be provided with essential information to enable them realise the benefits of having a manageable number of children, for whom they can provide social amenities. It would be more beneficial for a couple to consider the socio-economic implications of child-bearing before deciding on the number of children they want to have.

For the record, Uganda has a comprehensive National Population policy. The 2008 policy, which was developed by the Population Secretariat, is a revision of the 1995 one. The revision was prompted by the need to address new and emerging challenges that need to be addressed so as to improve the quality of life of the population and contribute to Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.

The policy clearly spells out strategies and responsibilities of the different players to address the challenges of a rapidly growing population in the midst of the scarce resources.

To ensure successful implementation of the National Population policy, the Population Secretariat, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, has developed the National Population Policy Action Plan. The Secretariat is also supporting district population officers and planners to develop district-specific population policy action plans.

Addressing population issues requires joint effort from all players, including leaders and the entire population. Now, more than ever before, our leaders are appreciating the need to invest in a quality population.

A plausible example is President Museveni’s commitment, at the London family planning conference, and a pledge by donors of over 500 million pounds sterling, between now and 2020, to the cause of family planning in order to provide affordable lifesaving contraceptive services, information and supplies to the world’s poorest countries.

That is why we need to call upon every Ugandan, development partners and other stakeholders, to join us in addressing population and development concerns at all levels.

The author is the National Programme Officer, Information and Communication, Population Secretariat.