INTRODUCTION The development challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa are made greater by rapid population growth and poor reproductive health. The impact of other investments in the region will be undermined unless governments move quickly to address these problems (1). Enabling people to have fewer children, if they want to, helps to stimulate development and reduce poverty in both individual households and societies. Smaller families have more to invest in education and health of children. Rapid population growth contributes to environmental stress, uncontrolled urbanization, and rural and urban poverty (2).
