The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, has emphasized the need for the Central Regional House of Chiefs to act differently in order to positively impact the youth, whose future was paramount to the development of the Region and the entire nation.
She pointed out that they play a vital role in the development of the region to act differently.
She made these remarks during an engagement with the chiefs on Sunday in the Central Region.
Dr Appiah stated, ”We have to be mindful of the fact that all choices have consequences and are mostly not within our control, so we have to agree on the future we want for ourselves, families and communities and also aspire to be healthy.”
According to her, although the Region was known as a hub of education, it also has a high poverty rate.
“Disturbingly, teenage pregnancy is 16 percent higher than the national average of 14 percent which is also very high.
Research after research shows that one of the strongest determinants of poverty is teenage pregnancies because of the negative health, social, financial and security implications.
“Data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census indicates that the number of teenage mothers aged 12-19 years in the Central Region is 260997,” she added.
Dr Appiah said it must be appreciated that having children comes with huge responsibility and so needed adequate preparation that includes, psychological, physical and financial considerations among others which demands a sole decision of two adults, not teenagers.
On her part, the President of the Queen Mothers Association, Nana Amah Amissah III called for a by-law by the Regional House of Chiefs in order to mitigate the effect of Teenage Pregnancy in the Region.
The engagement was organized by the National Population Council in collaboration with Marie Stopes Int. (GH) to discuss the effects of teenage pregnancies which have become a barrier to sustainable development.
Patience Anaadem, ISD
