10,000 teenage pregnancies recorded in 2020 - NPC

The National Population Council (NPC) has underscored the need for a concerted effort to deal with the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in Ghana.

Official reports from the state agency indicate that about 3,000 teenage pregnancy cases were recorded in minors between the ages of 10-14 years, whilst a total of 10,000 cases were recorded amongst teenage girls between the ages of 15-19 in 2020 alone.

In a quest to fashion out means of tackling the worrying development, the National Population Council held a two-day stakeholders dialogue on Adolescent Reproductive Health.

The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr. Leticia Appiah in her opening address called for an enhanced approach in dealing with the situation which has been given little attention yet is an affront to Ghana's progress.

Dr. Appiah also hammered the importance of prioritizing the girl child’s reproductive health in order to bring forth a healthy and productive budding generation. She mentioned the distribution of sanitary pads to young females, vaccination among others as some interventions to deal with the subject.

The Country Representative for UNFPA, Niyi Ojualape, called for the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual activities with minors across the country as one surest step of discouraging the act.

Mr. Ojualape argued that the teenage pregnancy crisis in Ghana has the tendency to thwart the development of the country.