Sex with older men increases teenage pregnancies in Upper Manya Krobo – DCE

A recent report by the Ghana Health Service indicates that Upper Manya Krobo District ranks second nationally in terms of prevalence of teenage pregnancies.

In 2021, the district recorded a prevalence rate of 19.3%, placing it first in Ghana and the Eastern region.

In 2022, the district ranked fifth in Ghana and second in the Eastern region, with a prevalence rate of 18.2%.

Last year, the district recorded a prevalence rate of 16.6%, placing it 11th in Ghana and third in the Eastern Region.

In the first quarter of 2024, the district recorded a prevalence rate of 17.8%, placing it third in Ghana and second in the Eastern region.

The District Health Directorate has identified several factors contributing to the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies. Chief among them are adolescent girls who engage in transactional sex with older men to obtain financial support to meet their basic needs.

Other factors include high poverty rates, low parental support and the influence of Western lifestyles.

Upper Manya Krobo District Chief Executive Joe Sam addressed the assembly members and expressed deep concern over the situation.

“The current situation is indeed quite alarming and very worrying, and therefore requires the efforts of all of us to help resolve the problem,” the DCE said.

He stressed the need for a collective effort to resolve this problem.

In response, the district health department, in collaboration with JOICFP, has intensified awareness programs to promote access to sexual and reproductive health services for young people to reduce high rates of adolescent pregnancy.

Additionally, the Assembly allocated office space to support the project.

Upper Manya Krobo district is also among the eleven districts and municipalities in the Eastern region selected to benefit from the 8th country program of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

This program aims to reduce child marriage, gender-based violence and maternal deaths in the region.

Faisal Bawa, program analyst for UNFPA's gender-based violence unit, noted that child marriage contributes significantly to adolescent pregnancies, with more than 100,000 cases reported annually in Ghana.

This problem has serious consequences for the development, health and education of adolescent girls.

Key stakeholders, including Social Welfare, the Ministry of Gender and the Ghana Health Service, were invited to collaborate with UNFPA to accelerate actions to address these issues.