Research Reports

Progress in addressing inequities in child health and wellbeing in Africa has partly been curtailed by lack of proper indicators to measure and monitor progress in reducing the vulnerability of children. Child wellbeing has mostly been identified and measured using uni-dimensional approaches such as household income and consumption. Such approaches overlook the multidimensional nature and severity of child deprivation since they do not incorporate other aspects of child wellbeing such as access to health care, education, and social welfare provisions.

A region’s population dynamics, including the size, distribution and composition of its population, influence its prospects for sustainable development. Virtually all development policies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cite the region’s rapid population growth, urbanisation, and age structure as major challenges. These pressures hurt efforts to reduce poverty, ensure food security, preserve the environment, and improve education, employment, and health.