Over 53, 000 teenagers pregnant in 7 months – Advocates raise alarm

A total of 53,415 adolescent girls in the country became pregnant in the first half of 2026, according to data released by the Ghana Health Service (GHS). The figure raised concerns about the need for stronger efforts to protect young girls and improve their sexual and reproductive health. The Programme Manager of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), Isaac Nyampong, said the data highlighted a serious challenge that required the attention of parents, teachers, religious leaders, traditional authorities and the government.

He was speaking during a day’s training organised by ARHR, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Canada, for 20 selected journalists from the Bono and Bono East regions. Unacceptable Mr Nyampong said the country continued to record more than 100,000 teenage pregnancies annually, a situation he described as unacceptable.

He said the training was intended to equip journalists with the knowledge and skills to report on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) accurately and sensitively. Mr Nyampong said the media had an important role to play in drawing attention to adolescent health challenges, informing the public and encouraging discussions on how to prevent teenage pregnancies.

“We are experiencing a silent crisis that we need to begin to have a national conversation about, and it is about poor adolescent health outcomes,” he said. He expressed concern that despite the high number of adolescent pregnancies, the issue did not receive the sustained public attention needed to encourage collective action. Role of parents Mr Nyampong said parents had a major responsibility to guide their adolescent children on their sexual and reproductive health but explained that some lacked the knowledge and skills to discuss the subject with them.

He said cultural and religious sensitivities sometimes made discussions about sex uncomfortable for parents and other adults, leaving young people without the information they needed to make informed decisions. He called for efforts to empower parents to communicate effectively with their children and provide them with age-appropriate reproductive health information.

Mr Nyampong said ARHR was working with the government and other stakeholders to promote reproductive health education and encourage parents to play a more active role in protecting adolescents. He urged religious leaders, chiefs and queenmothers to support public education and encourage open, responsible discussions about adolescent health. Violence against girls Mr Nyampong identified violence against girls as one of the factors contributing to poor reproductive health outcomes and adolescent pregnancies.

He said educating girls about their rights could help them recognise abuse, report incidents and seek assistance from the appropriate institutions. Mr Nyampong also stressed the need to educate boys and men to learn to respect girls and women and discourage abusive behaviour. He said preventing adolescent pregnancies required the involvement of both girls and boys, as well as parents, schools and the wider community.

Mr Nyampong said the country needed to address the underlying social and cultural factors that made discussions about reproductive health difficult. He urged stakeholders to provide young people with accurate information and access to appropriate reproductive health education and services. Mr Nyampong said the training would help journalists report reproductive health issues without misleading the public or creating unnecessary sensationalism.

He said accurate and sensitive reporting could help communities understand the challenges facing adolescents and encourage informed discussions about possible solutions.