According to the 2020 Ghana Health Service report on reproductive health, there were 107,023cases of teenage pregnancy with the Ashanti, Eastern, and Central regions leading in that order.
The girls who become pregnant before age 18 encounter several challenges that are associated with their rights to protection, health, education, and adequate quality of life.
It is in light of this that the Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan is calling on stakeholders to collaborate and put in place strategic policies and measures in other to find pragmatic solutions to address challenges facing adolescent girls in the country.
According to her, the youth are the greatest human assets for any nation, and much attention should be allocated to youth activities in ensuring that they become better future leaders.
Mad. Marigold Assan said these at the opening session of the Africa Youth Day celebration organized by the National Youth Authority (NYA) in Cape Coast.
This year, the Authority intends to highlight the need for a concerted effort to eradicate teenage pregnancy or significantly reduce its prevalence.
Mad. Marigold Assan said stakeholders bringing their expertise together will help solve the increasing spate of teenage pregnancies in the country.
“It is indeed incumbent on all of us to ensure that all stakeholders get themselves involved” she emphasized adding that parents should also be responsible through their obligation to guide and take good care of their girl child.
The national celebrations which span three days from Monday, November 1 to Wednesday, November 3, are under the theme ‘Safeguarding Teenage Girls: A Clarion Call to Action.’
To the minister, the theme has come in timely and appropriate particularly as the country is battling with the teenage pregnancy menace.
To this end, she urged Ghanaians to provide the necessary logistics for the physical, mental, financial, and spiritual growth of teenage girls to shape them into becoming useful citizens in the future.
Mad Marigold Assan also urged the national youth Authority to roll out programmes to develop the youth especially the girl child that will prevent them from adapting to alien cultures.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide indicated that heightened risks of premature labour, continuous abortions, stillbirths, the development of fistulas and higher rates of maternal mortality are associated with teenage pregnancies hence constituting a major threat to the health and wellbeing of the girl child.
This he notes raises concern as far as Goal 3 of the SDGs are concerned and as such the need for all and sundry to play their role in tackling the menace which is besetting the nation.
During the three-day celebration, a campaign under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports dubbed “Stop Teenage Pregnancy” and also train young influencers as reproductive health ambassadors would be rolled out.
A 2-day capacity-building workshop will also be organized for 50 young influencers to serve as reproductive health ambassadors and mentors.
Source: Anthony Sasu Ayisadu/ATLFMNEWS
