Ghana has been grappling with the issues of teenage pregnancy and child marriage, which have significant implications for the country’s population growth. These issues are interconnected and have far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and society as a whole.
The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, has attributed Ghana’s high population growth rate to high rates of teenage pregnancies, high levels of child marriage and high unmet need for family planning.
This statement comes after the National Population Council (NPC), a press briefing marking the beginning of a weeklong activity towards the commemoration of this year’s World Population day in Accra, revealed that the annual addition of 700,000 to Ghana’s population posed a huge challenge to development, ensuring quality of life for the population and some national policies such as the Ghana beyond aid.
Speaking on the development with host of Atinka FM’s AM Drive Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah noted that Africa and Ghana’s high population growth rate are in part supported by high rates of teenage pregnancies, high levels of child marriage and high unmet need for family planning with its associated high social, environmental and economic costs.
According to Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, the causes of teenage pregnancies are enormous citing parenting as a major cause.
She called on the general public to prioritize the act of honoring good parents and chastising bad parents.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Abigail Ahimah
