Biotech in South Africa: Ageing population sparks debate

An upcoming African summit on longevity has sparked a debate in South Africa with economists saying the older generation should make retirement provisions and not become a burden on the public purse in old age.

It comes against a background of dwindling natural resources and a struggling economy.

This, as South Africa prepares to host the inaugural International Longevity Summit from 23-24 August in Johannesburg to explore the future of longevity and biotechnology in Africa.

The summit aims to explore breakthroughs in longevity and healthcare across Africa and will be addressed by international experts, researchers, policymakers and investors.

Osinakachi Akuma Kalu, co-founder and COO of Afrolongevity, a subsidiary of Transdisciplinary Agora for Future Discussions, said the key areas to be discussed will include:

• Promoting healthier ageing for individuals and communities in Africa;
• Understanding age-related diseases and innovative approaches to address them; and
• Embracing the potential of genomics and digital technologies in revolutionising medical diagnostics and treatments.

Kalu said the United Nations had “declared this decade as the decade of healthy ageing”.

“The best thing we are working towards is to close the life expectancy gap so we can live longer and healthier.

“We want to bring back Africans to their biodiversity and stop eating processed food so that we can have quality health and a quality lifespan.

“Whatever you eat is often controlled by policies. What policies are in place to control processed foods?’ he asked.

“You need policies that say you need quality water, access to proper healthcare – policies that look at life expectancy and how to treat factors that drive aging.

“We only make policies that intervene when the sicknesses and diseases have already accumulated – when damage has already been done.”

Wits economics prof Jannie Rossouw and University of Johannesburg associate economics prof Peter Baur, said the challenge of ageing was relying on public grants for survival.

Said Rossouw: “Population growth is of benefit to the country if people can find employment, if the young population can work to increase the tax base of countries and help to improve prospects of such countries.

“A young population should not put pressure on government resources, and the same goes for the ageing population.

“It is necessary to encourage people to make provision for retirement during their careers.

“Growing populations also create new markets and consumers in such markets provide marketing opportunities for providers of goods and services.”

Baur agreed: “The challenges of an ageing population are quite significant especially around social grants and state subsidies

“With an ageing population, fewer people are contributing to social grants and the state is under pressure regarding the payment and subsidies for those in retirement. This especially affects the healthcare system.

As the elderly become more dependent on healthcare services and social grants, this places the state under immense pressure.

“Given additional challenges such as food price inflation and rising energy costs, the elderly may find it more difficult to make ends meet,” said Baur.

“Coupled with a dependency ration of the elderly (53.01%) on household income, this can significantly impact on well-being.

“The need to provide resources such as social grants, may put additional pressure on the state.”