Today, African ministers are gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for an important conversation about how to build their economies and meet the needs of the next generation.
What they may not know is they already hold the winning ticket: family planning!
As shown above, investing in family planning now can help countries achieve what is known as the demographic dividend—the economic growth that may result from changes in a country’s age structure. When women have smaller families, there are fewer children for the working-age population to support. Combined with expanding employment opportunities for workers, this can increase incomes per person and spur a country’s total economic growth.
Family planning can give countries a “boost,” increasing the benefits of other economic development policies such as investments in education, health, and employment. Women and girls are 50 percent of the world’s population, and when they can plan the timing of their pregnancies, they are healthier, happier, and more successful.
Unfortunately, 222 million women who wan’t to prevent pregnancy lack modern family planning. They can’t afford to leave this to chance. Share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word: family planning is a winning ticket for women and economies. Time to cash in.