By Sandrine M.
Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan has urged her citizens to reduce the number of children they bear.

The president made this remark over the weekend while she visited the country’s western region of Geita. “One health centre produces 1000 children a month”. She remarked.

President Samia Suluhu

Samia Suluhu therefore urged that the citizens should take up birth control measures so as to curb this progressing birth rate.

“Now how many classes will be needed after three years? What of health centres – how many will be needed to serve all these children? How many tonnes of food will be needed? Let’s reduce the speed and have a control on this,” The president urged.

President Samia’s call contradicts that of former president Magufuli who in 2018 at a rally in the Western Region referred to those who use contraception as lazy.

According to the 2020 World Bank estimate, Tanzania’s fertility rate was at 4.8 births per woman. The high birth rate was attributed to early marriages and low contraceptive use.

The country has a population of around 60 million people, with 49% of them living on less than $2 (£1.77) a day.

Source BBC
Photo credit: Bony Kazi