ENTEBBE, Uganda, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Population scientists in Africa are meeting here on Tuesday to discuss ways of harnessing the continent's population dynamics for sustainable development.
The meeting, organized by the Union for African Population Studies, is the 8th edition of the African Population Conference (APC).
The four-day meeting which started on Monday comes on the heels of another global population summit which concluded in neighboring Kenya last week with leaders and government representatives renewing their commitment to population issues.
Natalia Kanem, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said at the APC that African countries need to strengthen their capacities to produce and effectively use population data and statistics.
"Compared to other regions, sub-Saharan Africa has limited capacity for research and innovation. Yet, this is a precondition for developing a modern, smart and knowledge-based economy in the 21st century," Kanem said in a keynote speech.
"The benefits of deliberate capacity strengthening in population research can create an Africa that is more just, more equitable, more peaceful -- an Africa where every person's potential is realized, laying a solid foundation for sustainable social and economic development," she added.
The research community, according to Kanem, needs to adjust to new innovations and realities, and apply these to major social problems.
Participants of the meeting will discuss national, regional and continental investments to address rapid urbanization, population growth, sexual and reproductive health, technology, youth, the demographic dividend and capacity building, according to the organizers.
The APC is held every four years and the last one was in Pretoria, South Africa in 2015.
