Tanzania’s president has called on  his country’s women to set their ovaries free and have more children in a bid to boost the economy.

According to the president, a higher population could turn the East African nation into a regional powerhouse, but critics warned it would instead worsen inequality and poverty.

Since taking office in 2015, the president has presided over a campaign of industrialization that has helped sustain economic growth. But Magufuli claimed a higher birth rate would stimulate faster progress.

“When you have a big population, you build the economy. That’s why China’s economy is so huge,” he said, citing India and Nigeria as other examples of countries that gained from a demographic dividend.

Speaking in his home town of Chato on Tuesday, he said; “I know that those who like to block ovaries will complain about my remarks. Set your ovaries free, let them block theirs.”

Tanzania has sustained relatively high growth, averaging 6 to 7 per cent a year, over the past decade.

The nation of 55 million people already has one of the world’s highest birth rates, at around 5 children per woman.

Tanzania’s population is growing by about 2.7 per cent a year while most public hospitals and schools are overcrowded and many young people are unemployed, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Magufuli has criticized Western-backed family planning programmes implemented by the health ministry, in which a good number of Tanzanian women has engaged themselves into.

Last year, the president claimed curbing the birth rate was “for those too lazy to take care of their children,” while the health ministry barred broadcasting of family planning adverts by a US-funded project.

The opposition leaders have kicked against  Magufuli’s stance, saying the country’s rapid population growth is a time bomb.

His latest remarks also raised eyebrows on social media.

“As a modern woman I can’t believe this bulls*** especially coming from him,” said one Tanzanian Twitter user. Others branded the president an “eccentric clown” and “crazy”.

Critics also said it was simply bad economics for Mr Magufuli to urge Tanzanians to have more children.

“High population growth in Tanzania means increased levels of poverty and income inequality,” said a rights activist based in Dar es Salaam who asked not to be named.

 “Women’s ovaries should never be used as a tool for seeking economic prosperity,” she added.