title: [The elderly in sub-Saharan Africa: a vulnerable population often ignored in public policy].
abstract: Many people and financial institutions believe that the elderly are not a priority in sub-Saharan Africa, a region marked by serious economic, socio-political and health crises. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the assumptions and arguments underlying this view and to demonstrate that the elderly are a vulnerable priority population ignored by all stakeholders and primarily by technical and financial partners. The premise is that development must be viewed as a whole. In addition to improving the living conditions of children, youth and women, efforts to promote development in Africa must also take into account the needs of the elderly. The paper argues that there are four main reasons for focusing on the elderly in sub-Saharan Africa: systemic reasons, ethical/humanitarian reasons, developmental reasons and/or the interests and future of youth and adults.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche Santé et Société(IRSS), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgique, Burkina Faso. aberthe56@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Abdramane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berthé
authors.forename: Lalla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berthé-Sanou
authors.forename: Blahima
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Konaté
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hien
authors.forename: Fatoumata
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tou
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drabo
authors.forename: Fatoumata
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Badini-Kinda
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Macq
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000368:Aged; D006291:Health Policy; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D035862:Vulnerable Populations