The Upper East Region in the first quarter of 2023 recorded a total of 1,252 teen girls getting pregnant. This represents 13% of pregnancies recorded in the first quarter of the year.
The figure is a slight reduction from 1432 recorded within the same period in 2022.
In the first quarter of 2021, the region recorded 1635 teenage pregnancies.
A breakdown of the recorded teenage pregnancies in the first quarter of 2023 points at Bawku West leading the chat with 177 followed closely by another mining area, Talensi District which recorded 120.
The regional capital, Bolgatanga, and the Bongo District all recorded 113 teenage pregnancies. Kassena Nankana West recorded 94 while Bawku Municipal recorded 89.
Pusiga district recorded 78, Garu 76, Tempane 71, Kassena-Nankana Municipal 68, Nabdam recorded 65, and Binduri 63. The rest including Builsa South recorded 50, Buisa North 43 while the Bolgatanga East District recorded the lowest with 32.
The rate of pregnancies among the reported pregnancies puts Nabdam at the top though the nominal figures may appear to be lower as compared to others with the district recording 18% followed by Binduri with 17.9% and Kassena Nankana West with 16.9
This was made known by the Regional Adolescent Health Focal Person, Miss Dora Kulariba at a review meeting on essential services package for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based violence (SGBV) held Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Bolgatanga by the Department of Gender with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund.
Miss Kulariba explained in an interview with Dreamz News that teenage pregnancy remains a matter of concern early marriage, and unmet needs among others being the push factors.
“Early marriages lead to high teenage pregnancies, Sexual age of adolescents (earlier than usual) however there are unmet needs for contraceptive services, high Anemia rates amongst pregnant girls in school,parents giving out their pregnant Adolescent in marriage (other than supporting them and giving them second chances).” These she stated are the major challenges.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Gender, James Twene, said the engagement afforded agencies like the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice CHRAJ, DOVVSU, and Legal Aid the opportunity to share statics on service delivery, challenges and the way forward, to inform planning for proper targeting of communities.
