She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) here Sunday that the event would seek to promote the advantages of population dynamics in the continent and enable experts to exchange ideas on how to build and harness a prosperous population for Africa's growth.
She added that the forum would examine how to raise employment opportunities, encourage governments to invest in education, health, education, food, water and electricity in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"In the end, UNFPA seeks to entrench sustainable good governance in Africa in the process of implementing the SDGs," she said, adding that researchers needed to come up with findings on various thematic areas.
Ndhlovu urged donors to mobilise funds for the research to trigger and sustain the SDGs.
"The UNFPA will lead a discussion of optimal ways by which donors can support seed funding to select institutions to invest in their institutional resources, build institutional capacity in the DD and foster a new generation of DD experts on the continent," she said.
Meanwhile, the UNFPA Media Adviser, Hajiya Kori Habib, said in a statement that "Africa is the remaining region of the world where many countries still have the opportunity to realise a demographic dividend".
"Many countries are making progress in the key policy areas, but most countries in East, Central and West Africa must increase their commitment to strategies that hasten a fertility decline and open the window for a demographic dividend," she added.
"In Northern and Southern Africa, the fertility decline and age-structure transition and higher levels of education achievement have set the stage for a demographic dividend; now these countries must put in place the right set of economic and governance policies in order to harness a demographic dividend.
"While each country is unique, the demographic dividend suggests an opportunity for accelerated economic growth in Africa and the time to take necessary action is now."
