The impact of population growth on the socioeconomic development of Ghana

The impact of population growth on socio-economic development of a country is now recognized as a global issue of increasing importance and remains the root cause to the range of challenges to sustainable development. Growth in the population seems to be the biggest contributing factor to the projected increase in food needs. There are many factors or reasons that contribute to population growth in the world. The main aim of the study is to analyze the Impact of Population Growth on the Socio-Economic Development of the people of Ghana. Using secondary data and mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) of analysis, the study found out that population growth in general results in a high dependency burden, which in turn creates a low savings and investment situation. It has also resulted in forest degradation due to demand for agricultural lands. Migration and high fertility rate contribute to rapid population growth in Ghana. The study recommends that trends in migration and urbanization should be considered laying down strict measures to discourage illegal migration. Again, Infrastructure in rural areas need to be improved to discourage urbanization on the bases of lack of infrastructure and organize educational programs geared towards family planning and reproductive health