The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional authorities and young people to ensure the successful implementation of Ghana’s Revised Adolescent Pregnancy Strategy (2026–2030).
Delivering the keynote address at a national coordination meeting held at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra, the Minister described adolescent pregnancy as a major national development challenge that requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral response beyond the health sector.
The meeting brought together representatives from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), government ministries, departments and agencies, academia, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and the media to align efforts towards implementing the revised national strategy.
Hon. Dr Lartey noted that adolescent pregnancy continues to undermine the education, health and economic opportunities of thousands of young girls across Ghana.
Citing findings from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, she revealed that approximately 15 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced pregnancy, with more than 100,000 teenage pregnancies recorded annually nationwide.
She explained that poverty, limited access to sexual and reproductive health education and services, school dropout and harmful social norms remain major drivers of adolescent pregnancy.
The Minister highlighted significant regional disparities, noting that while Greater Accra records one of the country’s lowest teenage pregnancy rates at about six percent, regions including Savannah, Ashanti, Upper East and Upper West continue to experience much higher numbers. She cited the Upper East Region, where more than 2,400 teenage pregnancies were recorded within the first five months of 2025, including over 500 cases in the Bongo District.
Hon. Dr Lartey explained that the Revised Adolescent Pregnancy Strategy (2026–2030) builds on lessons learned from the implementation of the first national strategy, which covered the period from 2018 to 2022.
Developed by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with UNFPA, the Ministries responsible for Health and Education, and other stakeholders, the revised strategy seeks to strengthen coordinated national efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancy while promoting adolescent health, education, protection and rights.
According to the Minister, the strategy aligns with Ghana’s national development priorities and international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Minister stressed that no strategy can succeed without effective implementation and institutional cooperation.
She said the coordination meeting was organised to familiarise stakeholders with the revised strategy and its implementation plan, clarify institutional responsibilities, identify potential challenges and agree on practical actions for coordinated implementation across all sectors.
“Our success will not be measured by the quality of the document alone, but by the lives we transform, the girls who remain in school, the pregnancies we prevent, the rights we protect and the opportunities we create for Ghana’s adolescents,” she said.
Hon. Dr Lartey reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that adolescents across Ghana receive accurate information, life skills education and access to quality adolescent-friendly services that empower them to make informed decisions about their future.
