Africa Rising: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released an August 2014 working paper revealing "Africa will account for 80 percent of the projected 4 billion increase in the global population by 2100." The authors of the paper, Paulo Drummond, Vimal Thakoor, and Shu Yu, state that the increase in this working age population "creates a window of opportunity, which if properly harnessed, can translate into higher growth and yield a demographic dividend." To translate this opportunity into concrete economic growth, the right supportive policies fostering human capital accumulation and job creation must be in place.

For more information access working paper WP/14/143, Africa Rising: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend.

New Military Command for Africa

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the Pentagon is creating a new unified military command (AFRICOM) for all of Africa (except for Egypt which remains under the Central Command). According to Ryan Henry, Principal Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, “This command will focus on some efforts to reduce conflict, to improve the security environment, to defeat or preclude the development of terrorists or terrorist networks, and support in crisis response.” According to NPR, Navy Rear Admiral Robert Moeller will oversee the command which is due to be in full operation by the end of fiscal year 2008.

Male Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk in Africa

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today that two clinical trials of medically performed male circumcision ended early because interim data showed promising results in halting the spread of HIV acquired through heterosexual intercourse. In Kenya medically circumcised males were 53% less likely to acquire HIV than their uncircumcised counterparts, while in Uganda the reduction rate was 48%. These results do not necessarily apply to the United States, however, since most U.S. males are already circumcised, HIV rates are lower, and most male HIV infections in the U.S. occur in males who have sex with other males. For reactions to these findings, see the World Health Organization's (WHO) statement.