Kumasi: Dr. Godfred Bonnah Nkansah, a Population Policy Analyst at the Development Advocacy Initiative Africa, has emphasized the urgent need for Ghana to invest in family planning and reproductive health education.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Nkansah highlighted that although Ghana has made progress in managing population growth, there is still a significant gap compared to countries with similar socio-economic and political contexts.
Dr. Nkansah, also a Political Demographer, made his remarks during a Regional Consultation Workshop on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) held in Kumasi. The event was organized by the Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica) and Marie Stopes International (MSI).
He pointed out that Ghana is not fully utilizing the potential of its population, calling the national teenage pregnancy rate of 15.2 percent alarmingly high. He argued that this rate hinders Ghana's transition from a lower-middle-income to an upper-middle-income status, as many young individuals are raising children instead of pursuing education and contributing to the economy.
Dr. Nkansah stressed the importance of family planning in enabling families to have manageable sizes and promoting a mature population age structure that supports production rather than consumption, which is crucial for national development. He noted the absence of countries with a median population age outside the 25.6 to 42-year range and urged Ghana to accelerate its development by maturing its age structure.
The call for action included reducing teenage pregnancy rates, especially in densely populated regions like Ashanti, which has a teenage pregnancy rate of 24 percent. Dr. Nkansah also highlighted the issue of child marriage, stating that 19 percent of girls in Ghana marry before the age of 18, which requires urgent legal interventions to support social and economic growth.
Mr. Gilbert Borketey Boyefio, Programmes Manager at PNAfrica, expressed hope that the stakeholder engagements would lead to policy changes and a review of legislation. He urged the legislature to address these issues to better manage population growth and facilitate national development.
The workshop gathered traditional and religious leaders, government officials, media, and civil society organizations to discuss SRHR and chart a path forward for Ghana.
