title: Population needs identified for assistance in some ECA member states.
abstract: The U.N. Fund for Population Activities (UNPFA) has conducted Needs Assessment Missions in many developing countries as a means of identifying population and related areas in which individual countries would need assistance to achieve self-reliance in formulating and implementing population policies and programs.  This exercise is still going on in some of the countries.  In ECA member States these needs missions have been conducted in the following countries:  Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.  The areas identified for assistance vary from country to country, however, in some cases the needs are similar.  Data collection and analysis is still 1 of population needs for which many countries require assistance.  This includes conducting of national population censuses and demographic surveys and establishing or improving the civil registration systems on vital events.  Training of nationals in data collection and analysis is another area in which ECA member States need assistance.  It was identified that there is lack of integration of population variables in socioeconomic development planning.  The various missions recommended assistance to help ECA member States to integrate population variables in development planning.  Creation of Population units in ministries of planning and/or other departments was recommended as a means to help this integration.  The various missions also identified the need to create or to enhance the awareness of the interrelationship between population and sociodevelopment and their implications.  To this end the missions on needs assessment recommended assistance in population information and communication activities, including the introduction of population education in formal and nonformal education, conducting of seminars and workshops on population and development etc.  To help formulation of population policies, the establishment of National Population Commissions at the highest level was recommended.  Such commissions would examine population issues in detail and formulate suggestions for policy decisions and measures.  Other common population related areas which require greater assistance include health programs of maternal and child health care, health education activities, and family planning activities.  Last but not least is the need to improve the role and status of women in Africa so that they can be integrated to take a more active part in the various economic and social activities in national development.
mesh_terms: D002063:Burundi; D002163:Cameroon; D017507:Comoros; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D004467:Economics; D013541:Eswatini; D005002:Ethiopia; D005714:Gambia; D006040:Goals; D016701:Guinea; D006266:Health Education; D006285:Health Planning; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D007390:International Agencies; D007988:Liberia; D008270:Madagascar; D008295:Malawi; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D008435:Mauritania; D009018:Morocco; D009548:Niger; D009934:Organization and Administration; D009938:Organizations; D012432:Rwanda; D012675:Senegal; D012807:Sierra Leone; D012922:Social Change; D012939:Social Planning; D012998:Somalia; D013397:Sudan; D013636:Tanzania; D014480:United Nations; D014933:Women's Rights; D015024:Zambia; D015030:Zimbabwe
keywords: Burundi; Cameroon; Comoros; Development Planning; Economic Factors; Ethiopia; Family Planning Programs; Gambia; Goals; Guinea; Health Education; International Agencies; Ivory Coast; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Maternal-child Health Services; Mauritania; Morocco; Needs; Niger; Organization And Administration; Organizations; Planning; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Social Development; Somalia; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania; Un; Unfpa; Women's Status; Zambia; Zimbabwe