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President Samia Urges Tanzania Women To Have Fewer Babies
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has expressed concern over the high birth rate in the East African country and urged citizens to take up birth control measures.
It is a major reversal from the position of her predecessor, the late John Magufuli, who openly encouraged women not to use contraception.
President Samia Urges Tanzania Women To Have Fewer Babies
During a weekend visit to the western part of Geita, President Samia addressed the nation’s birth boom.
I was informed yesterday that one (health) center in the Buselesele ward of the Geita region generates 1,000 children per month.
“So, after three years, how many classes will be required? How many health centers will be required to service all of these kids? How much food, in tonnes, will be required? The president encouraged, “Let’s slow down and keep things under control.
In 2018, the former president Magufuli referred to those who use contraception as lazy while speaking at a gathering in western Tanzania.
And in 2016, after the launch of free primary and secondary education in the country, he said: “Women can throw away their contraceptives. Education is now free.”
A 2020 World Bank estimate said that Tanzania’s fertility rate was at 4.8 births per woman. The high birth rate was attributed to early marriages and low contraceptive use.
While it has been falling over the last 30 years, it has not declined as fast as other countries in the region such as Kenya and Ethiopia, World Bank figures suggest.
Tanzania has a population of around 60 million people, with 49% of them living on less than $2 (£1.77) a day.
