Adolescent Reproductive Health Project offers prospects for youth

The Ghana Adolescent Reproductive Health (GHARH) Project is an opportunity for the country’s youthful population to develop themselves socio-economically.

This is because it is providing the platform for leadership training and mentorship for the in-school and out-of-school youth as future leaders of the country, Ms Esther Cofie, the acting Director of Technical Services of The National Population Council (NPC), said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on Wednesday at Abesim, near Sunyani.

The GHARH Project, being funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom, through the Ghana Office of GRM Futures Group, is being implemented jointly by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ghana Education Service (GES) and the National Youth Authority (NYA)

The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) as their umbrella bodies are the other implementing partners of the Project.

Ms. Cofie explained the Project was giving protection and guidance to young people to realize their full potentials to contribute effectively to national development.

She said the NPC, as the Government lead agency for population programmes, was charged with the responsibility in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to coordinate the GHARH Project.

The acting director said the aim of that joint coordination was to build the capacity of the Government institutions to implement Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) interventions.

Ms Cofie expressed the hope that it would lead to the ultimate achievement of the Millennium Development Goal Five, which is reducing maternal mortality, improving maternal health and achieving universal access to reproductive health.