(3 Minutes Read)
Interviews across a dozen African countries and a review of research and data make it clear how few resources await those who reach old age on the continent.
As people live longer, due to factors like better healthcare and lower child mortality, countries like Uganda are struggling to cope. In just 15 years, sub-Saharan Africa has seen the number of people over 60 balloons to an estimated 50 per cent to about 67 million.
While improvements in life expectancy are positive, as villages begin to fill with older people there is a dire shortage of support for them. Pensions and social safety nets are minimal, medical care is lacking, and routine problems associated with age are often not addressed. Respect for older people is deeply ingrained in African cultures, but even richer countries outside the continent are having trouble meeting the needs of their ageing populations.
Interviews across a dozen African countries and a review of research and data make it clear how few resources await those who reach old age on the continent.
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Worryingly, even more dramatic growth awaits, with the World Health Organization projecting that there will be 163 million older people in the region by 2050.
