Western Region tops teenage pregnancy table

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is calling for a concerted effort to tackle what it describes as an alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in Ghana.

At a two-day end of year review meeting with stakeholders in the Volta Regional capital Ho on Friday, 27 December 2019, experts and government officials have been deliberating on ways to achieve the sustainable development goals through improved access to reproductive health and rights.

Key amongst the emerging threats to sexual and reproductive rights is the issue of Teenage Pregnancy which the UN agency says remains at a worrying rate.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the meeting, Robert K. Mensah, a Reproductive health specialist with UNFPA noted that "nationally we have a problem in the country. We have about 31% of our population as adolescents that is from 10 to 19 years but the older adolescents who are 15 to 19 years we realised that the Ghana maternal health survey of 2017 found out that of these groups of people 15 to 19 years on the average nationally 14.4 % have begun childbearing either they have a child or they are pregnant.

Giving a regional breakdown the specialist further explained that the Western Region tops the chart with 18.9 % followed by the Volta Region with 17.9% and Brong Ahafo placing 3rd with 17.3%. Central Region also comes close with 15.3%. He, however, noted that the Greater Accra Region for some reasons recorded 7%.

Dr Mensah called for increased governmental and parental control as he revealed that transactional sex is on the ascendancy with sexual predators making use of improved technologies especially the Mobile Money services operated by Telcos across the country.

Meanwhile, the Volta Regional Coordinating Council says it has taken a team of experts and educationists present at the dialogue to gather feedback to develop a roadmap to check the rate at which young girls are forced out of school as a result of teenage pregnancy.

Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Johnson Avuletey, while expressing his dissatisfaction over the development expressed hope that the committee’s report will come up with practical steps to tackle the situation. He also admonished parents and all stakeholders to join hands in educating young girls about the dangers of teenage pregnancy.