The National Population Council (NPC) says teenage pregnancy and Human Immune Virus (HIV) infections among young people remain major challenges to Ghana’s development.     

At the Second High-Level Coordination Meeting of Partners in Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Policy Implementation and Advocacy in Accra on Thursday, the Deputy Chair of NPC, Dr Nii Akwei Addo, linked teenage pregnancy and the HIV menace to poverty, harmful social and cultural practices, and misinformation.   

Dr Akwei said limited access to adolescent-friendly services and emerging risks associated with digital technology were other factors contributing to the prevalence of teenage pregnancy and HIV among young people.    

"Teenage pregnancy and HIV infections among young people remain major challenges to Ghana's development," he said.   

Dr Akwei, therefore, called for stronger multisectoral coordination, increased domestic investment and meaningful youth participation in the fight against teenage pregnancy and HIV.    

He said the implementation of existing programmes and policies to combat the menace must be accelerated.    

The Director of Family Health Division at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Kennedy Brightson, citing the 2022 Demographic Health Survey Report, said 7.8 million, representing 26 per cent of Ghana’s 34 million population, constituted the adolescent group.    

“Of the 26 per cent of adolescents, a staggering 15.4 per cent have experienced teenage pregnancy,” she said.    

She attributed the high rate to the relatively early age of sexual debut, noting that the median age for first sexual intercourse was 17.4 years for girls and 17.2 years for boys.   

On HIV, Dr Brightson said data showed that people within the ages of 15 to 24 were the most affected.    

She said parental monitoring and open communication were the strongest protective factors to curb the menace and hence called on parents to have sexual and reproductive health discussions with their children.   

Dr Brightson called on schools to prioritise health education, guidance and counseling.   

Acting Executive Director of NPC, Mrs. Angelina Osei Kodua-Nyanor, called for stronger partnership and coordinated action to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescents and young people in Ghana.   

She noted that strong partnership and collective ownership were essential to achieving national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals.    

"The success of our efforts depends on the active engagement, commitment and collaboration of every institution," she said.