The National Youth Authority (NYA) will, from Monday, November 1, join member states of the African Union (AU) to celebrate the 2021 Africa Youth Day (AYD).

The national celebrations which has been scheduled to end on Wednesday, November 3, will be hosted in Cape Coast under the theme ‘Safeguarding Teenage Girls: A Clarion Call to Action.’

The NYA has announced that there will be several activities across all regions of the country to bring together the youth and major stakeholders in youth development to formulate strategic interventions to drastically reduce and prevent the incidences of teenage pregnancies in Ghana.

“Some key activities planned to herald the day include a durbar and launch of a campaign on the need for a concerted effort to eradicate teenage pregnancies and improve the quality of lives for adolescent girls in Ghana,” part of a statement dated August 31, 2021 said.

The day has also been set aside to highlight the immense contributions of young Africans to the cultural, political and socio-economic development of their communities.

Working under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the NYA is expected to launch a campaign dubbed “Stop Teenage Pregnancy” and also train young influencers as reproductive health ambassadors.

It will embark on a sensitization and awareness creation in selected communities.

The African Union has urged member states to, as part of events marking this year’s celebrations, organise activities that focus on meaningful dialogue and engagement with the youth, fostering mutual partnerships and relationships amongst them and promoting their involvement in the development process of their countries.