Regent appeals for stakeholder support to fight teenage pregnancy

By Fatahiya Mohammed, GNA

Diare (NR), June 21, GNA - Naa Abubakari Abdulai, the Regent of Diare in the Savulugu/Nanton Municipality, has bemoaned the high increase in teenage pregnancies in the community.

He disclosed that the high incidence of teenage pregnancies has resulted in a high school dropout rate in the area, which he described as worrisome.

Naa Abdulai told the GNA in Diare on Wednesday that there had been more naming ceremonies in the community than marriages witnessed, which according to him had been as a result of teenage pregnancy.

The GNA was in the community to assess rural development and the problems that the people were confronted with for possible government or development partners' intervention.

Naa Abdulai said despite several interventions on the part of government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to curb the escalating teenage pregnancy in the Northern Region, the community still recorded alarming rates.

He said the situation was affecting productivity and described the problem as worrying saying, "It is worrying to see 14 to 15 year old girls who are supposed to be in school to acquire knowledge to enable them impact positively on the society getting pregnant or carrying babied at their backs.

“It disheartens me, most of them will give birth and abandon their children flee to cities for nonexistent jobs or engage in head porting," he lamented.

He advised parents to remain more responsible by giving their children the necessary guidance and they must invest more in their children's education.

He appealed to stakeholders, NGOs and development partners to help with resources to develop the area to improve the standard of living.

He said the people were predominantly farmers and stressed the need for the implementation of government's planting for food and Jobs programme in the area, to assist the farmers to increase food productivity as well as end poverty in the area.

He also appealed to the government to consider creating a district out of the Savelugu Municipality and site the capital in Diare to ensure infrastructure development of the area.

GNA

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