Mrs Samira Bawumia launching the five years strategic plan document.
The Second Lady, Mrs. Samira Bawumia has called for investment in Adolescent Reproductive Health since it was a key component in empowering the girl-child’s economic and social status.
She said such an investment would not only ultimately lead to the prevention of early pregnancies, a major contributor to maternal and child mortality, but also create the opportunity for the adolescent, especially the girl-child to focus on their education.
Mrs.Bawumia said this yesterday in Accra at the commemoration of the United Nations International Day of The Girl Child.
The occasion had the theme ‘‘With Her: A Skilled Girl Force.’’
The event was also used to launch a Five Year Strategic Plan to address Adolescent Pregnancy in Ghana – with the overall objective to provide adolescents, especially girls, with the right information, knowledge, skills and services to insulate them from unplanned pregnancies.
The event brought stakeholders together to dialogue on the challenges facing the girl child, and also promoting girl empowerment and fulfillment of their human rights.
Mrs. Bawumia said statistics on teenage pregnancies were becoming alarming.
According to her, the United Nations figures shows that 21 million girls aged between 15-19 years were likely to become pregnant in developing countries this year.
She said Ghana has invested and committed resources to Adolescent Reproductive Health and Rights, ‘‘but there is still more we have to do’’.
Mrs. Bawumia said there was the need to help adolescent girls through expanding learning opportunities and engaging policymakers to rethink how to prevent abuse and exploitation, so that they were better equipped to transition into the workforce.
She said it was important to note that investment in adolescent Reproductive Health was a key component in empowering the girl child adding that it was also important to prevent these early pregnancies by focusing on education.
Mrs. Gifty Twum-Ampofo, Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection said as a country, there was the need to be concern about the alarming rate of reported cases of teenage pregnancy.
She said available statistics indicated the rise in pregnancy cases at the basic and senior high schools, saying it gave cause for concern.
Mrs. Twum-Ampofo said the development of a strategic plan to combat adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues has become paramount.
By Lawrence Markwei and Abeduwaa Lucy Appiah
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