Media practitioners in the country have been urged to work closely with lawmakers in their efforts to control unplanned population growth.The Rwandan Parliamentarians’ Network on Population and Development (RPRPD), a group of MPs dedicated to raising public awareness on issues related to population growth, made the call on Thursday during a media breakfast in Kigali.The event was aimed at sharing ideas as MPs prepare for their forthcoming 10th anniversary celebrations set for June 21.“We want to remind everyone of their very important role in striving for the country’s development, and for the most part, considering the fact that population growth does not at all match our country’s production capacity,” RPRPD president, Senator Gallican Niyongana, who is also vice-president of the Senate’s standing committee on social affairs and Human Rights, said.Fertility rate MPs have previously stressed that Rwanda’s success in poverty reduction, food security, education, health, and others, would be compromised if nothing is done to check the fast-growing population. “Our focus is on areas like family planning, parenting, HIV/Aids, and others. We are increasingly putting attention on the consequences of what is a poor mindset. Rwandans need to understand the gravity of the population growth concern because there are still many who don’t see this as a problem. The journey is way still long. The fertility rate has dropped but we need to do more,” Niyongana added.MPs want Rwandans to understand the potential impact of population growth on the country’s efforts to improve access to skilled health workers, among other things.The current 4.6 fertility rate is an improvement – down from 6.1 in the past few years, but that too is not good enough, according to lawmakers.The government cannot forcefully restrict Rwandan families on the number of children they can have. Wide sensitisation is the option, and two children per family, are considered as ideal. Members of the media pledged to support the efforts to control rapid population growth. With a surface area of approximately 26,338 square kilometres, Rwanda remains the most densely populated country in Africa. Its population, estimated at over 10.5 million, is bearing down on scarce resources.
