Population Growth Threat To Green Economy – Uganda Minister
Uganda’s minister for Water and Environment has denounced the country’s growing population, seeing it as a threat to achieving and maintaining a green economy.
Sam Cheptoris made his remarks while launching Uganda’s Water and Environment Information System (WEIS) on December 27 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Water and Environment at Luzira in Kampala.
Minister Cheptoris stated: “Uganda is well endowed with vast natural resources constituting water bodies, wetlands, forests and rich biodiversity. Unfortunately, these resources are facing increasing pressure from high population growth, economic activities, and poor disposal of solid, and liquid waste from industries, human settlements, and frequent floods and droughts as a result of climate change. These challenges demand a robust system to collect, process and analyse data to support timely decision-making.”
Cheptoris also noted that ensuring a green economy for Uganda would contribute to eradicating poverty as well as sustaining economic growth, improving human welfare, enhancing social inclusion, and creating opportunities for decent employment for all.
WEIS was made possible with the help of $280m of support from the World Bank, under its water management and development project.
“The development of the Water and Environment Information System aims at ensuring that we effectively utilize digital technology in everything the ministry does,” Cheptoris added. “The system comes in handy to improve the management of all the data that has been previously scattered to support decision-making but also provide online access to water and environment data, information and knowledge products within the ministry, its de-concentrated structures and the wider water and environment sector.”
But as Minister Cheptoris confirmed, continued population growth remains a difficult and complex challenge to a Uganda that is working hard to embrace a greener economy and a more sustainable future.
At the time of writing, the population of Uganda sits at just over 49.2 million, an increase of 17 million since 2010. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 4.36.
Submitted by Friends of Retha
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