Sunyani: Mrs. Lucy Sanyenu, the Sunyani West Public Health Nurse, has expressed concern over the increasing trend of teenage pregnancies in the municipality, emphasizing the need for enhanced efforts to control the situation and improve school retention rates among girls.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mrs. Sanyenu reported that records show 100 schoolgirls were impregnated in Sunyani West between January and March 2025. This figure marks an increase compared to the 91 pregnancies recorded during the same period in 2024. She shared these insights during an interview at Odomase, the Municipal capital, on the sidelines of an adolescent community forum organized by the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), a human rights, media advocacy, and anti-corruption NGO.
The adolescent community forum was part of the 'Resilient City for Adolescents (RC4A)' project, implemented by GloMeF in collaboration with the Women Empowerment Network and Citizens Watch Ghana. The forum aimed to gather the views of adolescent boys and girls to integrate them into the medium-term development plans of the Sunyani East and Sunyani West Municipal Assemblies. The project, funded by the Swiss Bortnar Foundation with a budget of 300,000-pounds sterling, seeks to improve adolescent lives in the two municipalities over three years.
Mrs. Sanyenu highlighted that teenage pregnancies are particularly prevalent in Chiraa, Nsoatre, Fiapre, and Odomase, with a few cases reported in Kwatire and Bofourkrom. She advocated for improved sexual reproductive health education in these communities and urged all stakeholders to address the issue, which poses a threat to the growth and development of young girls.
Mr. Simon Asore, the Executive Director of Citizens Watch Ghana and an RC4A implementation partner, emphasized the importance of prioritizing adolescent health and wellbeing at the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly levels. He stressed that the voices of young people should be adequately represented in decision-making processes at both local and national levels.
