Mother (Philomena Digbey) and the symbolic 8 billionth baby with Rep from UNFPA (middle) and Director General of UNDP, Dr. Kodjo Essiam Abrampa, Chair of the occasion at the Accra Regional Hospital.
The Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) joined its partners, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Ghana Health Service (GHS), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), National Population Council (NPC) and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to commemorate the world’s attainment of a population of 8 billion on November 15, 2022.
As part of the celebration, there was a symbolic identification of the 8 billionth baby born in Ghana, at an august event organised at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital). The event saw the welcoming of a baby girl, the first to be born after midnight at the Ridge Hospital on Tuesday, 15th November 2022. The baby and mother received several presents from partners, including mother care items from PZ Cussons.
Following the symbolic identification of the 8 billionth baby at the Hospital, a colourful ceremony was organised at the Alisa Hotel, where various speakers took turns to reflect on the importance of the day and implications for development, both in Ghana and the world over.
The Country Representative of UNFPA, Mr Barnabas Yisa, in a speech read on his behalf by the International Operations Manager, Ritesh Mistry, said Tuesday, November 15, 2022, was an important day in the history of the world. He noted that a world population of 8 billion, presented the world with eight billion possibilities and opportunities, that the global community aspires to.
Using the occasion of this historic day, the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) and its partners pre-launched a book on Ghana’s demography. The book to be titled Ghana’s Demography: Evolution and Implications for Development will focus on the demography of Ghana and highlight the key changes that have occurred in the demographic terrain since independence, particularly as they relate to patterns, trends and determinants of Fertility, Mortality and Migration. It will reflect on the implication of these changes for development. Other topics to be treated in the book, will among others, include issues of Urbanisation, Family Formation, Children, Adolescents, Youth and the Demographic Dividend, Population Ageing and its implications for social security.
The book will rely on data from various censuses since independence, nationally representative surveys such as the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Cluster Indicator Surveys (MICS), the Ghana Maternal Health Surveys (GMHS), among many others, to provide evidence to inform policy actions and decision making. It will also become a reference material for training, research and policy dialogue.
Cover page of the book
The day was historic as it marked a period when the world population is estimated to have reached 8 billion, with events organised to commemorate this milestone across the world. Ghana’s population stands at 30.8 million per the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
Earlier, RIPS through UNFPA, submitted a statement to be read in parliament to commemorate the day.
