Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi wants to limit births. He points to China’s old one-child rule as a guide.
“We should aim for 400,000 births a year,” he says. Egypt has 105 million people and had 2.2 million births in 2022.
Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghafar disagrees. He says having kids is a “total freedom.” Al-Sisi doesn’t agree.
“Is it wise to let people who might not understand the problem have this freedom?” he asks.
Al-Sisi says Egypt as a whole will pay the price for many births. He calls for managed freedom to avoid crisis. Egypt is facing its worst economic time ever.
China had a one-child rule from 1968 until 2015. “They succeeded in controlling their population,” al-Sisi adds.
Egypt has struggled with population growth for years. This is not the first time leaders have called for control.
In the past, programs aimed to educate people. These talked about family planning and using contraceptives. However, success was limited.
The country has many young people. Almost 60% are under the age of 30. Jobs are hard to find for them.
This puts a strain on the economy. More people also mean more use of resources. Water and food become scarce.
Population growth also affects education. Classrooms are crowded. Teachers find it hard to manage.
Students don’t get enough attention. Quality suffers as a result.
Healthcare faces similar problems. Hospitals are crowded. Long wait times are common. This impacts the quality of care.
Both education and health are key to a country’s future.
Bad Economy
Egypt’s economy has its own issues. Tourism, a big income source, has been down. Political instability has also hurt the economy.
Foreign investment is low. The country has high debt.
In summary, population control is part of a bigger picture. It ties into the economy, healthcare, and education.
Al-Sisi’s call for birth control is a response to these challenges. It aims to give Egypt a more stable future.
More: Egypt news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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