Child marriage has been one of the unending challenges confronting many communities, especially rural areas, in the country and other parts of the continent.

On stage at the 2022 edition of the Global Citizen Festival at the Black Stars Square, President Akufo-Addo pledged his commitment to mobilising support towards ending it.

He said now is the time for leaders to champion the cause and ensure the growth of young girls, who usually end up being deprived from achieving their full potentials and objectives.

Mr Akufo-Addo called for a collective commitment of all major stakeholders to put in place measures that would protect the girl child.

“Women and girls account for 51% of the population of Ghana, the majority and that is the same everywhere on the continent. So, empowering them is critical to speeding up Africa’s progress.

“As President of Ghana, as Co-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and as AU gender champion, I am committed put in place policies and programmes aimed at improving the development of the girl child in Ghana.

“I’m equally committed to ensuring access a minimum of senior high school education for the girl child in Ghana, a policy that has already begun to work. I’m also committed to mobilising support towards ending child marriage in Ghana and in the whole of the African continent,” he stated on Saturday, September 24.

At the same event, Mr Akufo-Addo hinted that the country will, one day, get a female president, adding that he poised to implementing many policies to ensure that is achieved, even if not under his tenure.

“Together we can achieve gender equality, empower the women and girls and achieve the global needs and goals of the Sustainable Development Goals. And one day, we are going to have a female President of Ghana,” he added.