Tanzanian President John Magufuli has urged women in his country to stop using contraceptives to control birth rates, saying the East African nation needed to grow its population.
“You have cattle. You are big farmers. You can feed your children. Why then resort to birth control? This is my opinion, I see no reason to control births in Tanzania,” local Citizen daily newspaper quotes President Magufuli.
The 58-year-old went on to warn that the use of contraceptives had side effects that could harm the health.
“I have travelled to Europe and elsewhere and have seen the harmful effects of birth control. Some countries are now facing declining population growth. They are short of manpower.”
“Women can now give up contraceptive methods,” he added.
Tanzania’s population stands at around 60 million, an increase by 10 million since it attained independence in 1961.
