Africa’s population is expected to grow by 2.1 billion people by 2100, which has raised important questions about improving the care economy.
Blessing Adesiyan, the CEO of Caring Africa, shared her thoughts during an interview on News Central TV’s Jasiri programme on Thursday.
Adesiyan noted that while Africa will account for more population growth than all other continents combined, the support systems for care are not keeping pace. She pointed out that without sufficient childcare, elder care, and assistance for people with disabilities, the continent may struggle to fully benefit from this growth.
“We need to start thinking about how do we make sure that these people we are adding are actually productive to the economy. That productivity starts with the care work that is required to raise those children,” Adesiyan stated.
She added that without effective care systems in place, the burden of unpaid care work, which largely falls on women, will continue to limit economic participation and individual well-being.
Adesiyan explained that women in Africa currently handle 75% of unpaid care responsibilities, including taking care of children, managing households, and providing community support.
“Which is why they’re willing to take people from Africa and bridge the care gap. What we are seeing across the globe is, especially in Africa, so African women are actually shouldering 75 percent of the unpaid care work, 75.
“So when you look at who is caring for the children, who is doing all the things, you know, and I like to break it down this way because I don’t think we all understand the amount of work that our women are doing,” she said.
Adesiyan also highlighted the importance of care work worldwide, pointing out that countries like the United States and the UK are increasingly depending on African immigrants to fill their care needs.
However, she stressed that Africa must concentrate on developing its own care systems to manage the challenges posed by a growing population.
“In the United States, most women would just care for their children. The husband would take care of himself. Everybody would take care of them.
“Nobody, you know, nobody requires your time. But in Nigeria, for example, the woman is taking care of the children, the household, the partner. They are the ones making sure that, ah, I want to make sure that is shipped,” she explained.
“… the women are the ones in the church, in the mosque, you know, volunteering, doing all this community building. And so it is a lot, all that time is going into these, you know, this various caring for other people where now women are not able to care for themselves. And they’re not able to participate the way they want to participate,” she added.
The CEO called for changes in the system to lessen the load on women and create a setting where care work is appreciated and supported.
Adesiyan believes that by investing in childcare centres, elder care services, and support for people with disabilities, Africa can ensure its growing population contributes positively to economic development rather than becoming a burden.
