Malawi Government says 91 percent of people in the country are not in the labour workforce.
Principal Secretary for Economic Planning and Development in the Ministry of Finance, Patrick Zimpita, made the remarks when launching the National Population Week.
He said only nine percent of Malawi’s population is in the labour workforce and this small percentage of the population is under pressure to provide for the remaining 91 percentage.
Zimpita also revealed that Malawi’s population is currently at 20.9 million with a projection of 21.2 million in 2024 under the current birth rate of 3.9 percent.
Speaking at the press briefing, Public Health Expert, Professor Maureen Chirwa, said Malawi should strive for inclusiveness particularly involving the young population in family planning issues to help control the rapid growing population growth.
“Having enough resources, young people can take care of themselves and control their fertility. This can result into reducing poverty levels as we scramble for little available resources,” she said.
Malawi will commemorate the World Population Day on 11th July under the theme: “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities”.
The country will also observe Population Week from 10th to 14th July, 2023 under the theme: “Harnessing Gender-Centered Human Capital Investment for Socio-economic Transformation.”
During the population week, government plans to disseminate messages that spotlight women’s health problems during pregnancy and childbirth, family planning, gender equality, and maternal health.
