Strike a balance between population and economic growth

Editor,These are quite interesting revelations and the projections almost certainly positive but, personally, I think dropping fertility rates could also have a negative impact on the economy in the long run. Look at Japan and China and how they are struggling with elders’ burden.I think we dont necessarily have to discourage our women from making new babies; if we can improve the economy using other approaches, we can empower couples to have more children but with the ability to look after them.Wealthy families have no qualms with having many dependents. Personally, I have three kids now and we are thinking of adding a fourth one because we feel we can afford to look after them.Therefore, I say, those with enough resources should not allow their women to slow down because a large population has its own benefits in the economy.Claver, Rwanda********************************I think that the problem isnt the ability of a family to sustain itself financially but the question is: do Rwandans have the capacity to sustain the whole nations population without having to use external means to survive?Clearly, when you live in a small landlocked country like Rwanda, with a difficult landscape, the biggest threat of such economy is the capacity to feed the population, by importing food, therefore increasing the dangers of food price fluctuation, food shortage, and worsening our already negative economic balance...I think its better to curtail Rwanda’s fertility rates, but not too much, so we wont have a senior boom population like in Japan.Jean,RwandaReactions to the story, “Women go slow on babies, seek work”, (Sunday Times, January 19)

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Strike a balance between population and economic growth