Poor access to water, healthcare and edu­cation in four remote island communities in the Eastern region has resulted in high attrition of key work­ers in such areas.

This has led to adverse re­sults recorded in education, health and birth registration in the Afram Plains North and South districts.

This came to light when Ghana’s Representativefor the United Nations Chil­dren’s Fund (UNICEF),Osama MakkawiKhogali,concluded a week-long visit to the four remote island communities in the two districts.

The visit was to appreci­ate the pressing challenges impacting children in these communities, including sig­nificant barriers to birth reg­istration, access to educa­tion, health, and adolescent and child protection issues.

This is the first time a head of a development organisation in Ghana has undertaken such extensive and direct engagement with hard-to-reach communities in the Afram Plains North and South districts.

MrKhogali travelled by ferry, canoe, and motor bicycle engaging directly with residents in Bumpata, Ekyiamenfrom, two commu­nities in KwahuAfram Plains South, and the remote fishing village of Kpatalidza and Senafukope in KwahuAfram Plains North from June 22- 28,2025.

He stated that UNICEF’s presence in these remote communities reaffirm its core principle to protect and promote the rights of every child irrespective of where they live, however, isolated.

According to MrKhogali, understanding the unique barriers children face in ac­cessing quality education and essential health services to addressing concerns around adolescent pregnancy and birth registration was crucial for tailoring UNICEF’s support effectively.

During his visit, MrKhogali held dialogues with the Re­gional Coordinating Councils and District Chief Execu­tives, community members and their leaders, teachers, health workers, and religious leaders.

The discussions were cen­tred on challenges hindering birth registration, barriers to accessing quality educa­tion, availability of essential health commodities, and adolescent pregnancy.

Findings from the visit and engagement revealed that inadequate water supply, health facilities and diffi­cult access to education in the area caused children to trek long distances to access these facilities.

Furthermore, the UNICEF rep on the visit noted that weak implementation of birth registration protocols and the charges associated with children over 12 months were major drawbacks to achieving universal birth registration.

Strategic engagements were held with the Regional and District Health Director­ates to assess the availability of basic health supplies.

 By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu