BILL GATES : *AFRICA'S RAPID POPULATION GROWTH*

AFRICA'S rapid population growth puts poverty progress at risk, says Bill Gates.

Rapid population growth in some of Africa's poorest countries could put at risk future progress towards reducing global poverty and improving health, according to a report by the philanthropic foundation of Bill Gates.

Demographic trends show a billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty in the past 20 years, the report found. But swiftly expanding populations, particularly in parts of Africa, could halt the decline in the number of extremely poor people in the world, and it may even start to rise.

''Population growth in Africa is a challenge,'' Gates told reporters in a telephone briefing about the report's findings.

It found that poverty in Africa is increasingly concentrated in a few countries, which also have among the fastest-growing populations in the world.

By 2050, it projected, more than 40 percent of world's extremely poor people will live in just two countries : Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.

Asked about the best ways of tackling the growing population and poverty challenges, Gates said improving access to birth control was key, and this should be combined with an investment in young people's health and education.

''The biggest things are the modern tools of contraception,'' Gates said. ''If you have those things available then people have have more control over being able to space their children.'' [Agencies]

The honor and serving of Bill Gates philanthropic accomplishments continues.