At least 1,501 girls aged 10 to 14 years got pregnant between January and July this year, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disclosed.

The figure forms part of 53,415 adolescent pregnancies recorded at health facilities nationwide over the period.

The Adolescent Health and Development Programme Manager of the GHS, Ms Sharifa Mohammed, disclosed this at a national multi-sectoral dialogue on reducing teenage pregnancy in Accra on Tuesday.

On the theme: ‘Strengthening multisectoral action and accountability to prevent teenage pregnancy and protect adolescent futures in Ghana,’ the dialogue was organised by MSI Reproductive Choices Ghana (MSIG) in collaboration with UNFPA.

It sought to examine the current teenage pregnancy landscape and strengthen practical solutions, accountability and multisectoral collaboration for improved adolescent health and wellbeing.

According to Ms Mohammed, records show that adolescent pregnancies increased with age, with girls 18 to 19 years recording higher rates.

The Savannah Region, for instance, recorded an adolescent birth rate of about 117 births per 1,000 young women, placing it above the sub-Saharan African average of 104 per 1,000 births with some districts even recording substantially higher rates.

“Bole District in the Savannah region for instance recorded 230 births per 1000 among girls aged 18 to 19 years. The Upper East region recorded more than 2,400 adolescent pregnancies within the first five months of the year including 520 cases in the Bongo District alone,” she disclosed.

The programme manager noted that education was a key factor in curbing adolescent pregnancies, saying available evidence showed that girls who remained in school were less likely to become pregnant than those who were out of school.

She said, since 2017 the GHS had implemented “safety net” interventions for pregnant adolescents, providing maternal and child health services, health education, psychosocial support, referrals to social protection services and follow-up care.

As part of the intervention, pregnant girls who want to return to school Ms Mohammed said, were linked with relevant education authorities and schools although admitting that practical challenges, including classroom conditions and the physical needs of pregnant students could sometimes prevent them from remaining in school.

Beyond education, she said girls who could not return to school were also linked to civil society organisations and other services for vocational training and social support.

She urged stakeholders working in adolescent health to strengthen collaboration and direct resources to areas where the burden of adolescent pregnancy was highest.

The Programme Manager for MSI Reproductive Choices Ghana (MSIG), Clara Nyarkoah Anim, expressed the need to place the voices and needs of young people at the core of interventions noting that “they understand the realities that face them more, the barriers and opportunities in ways that cannot always be captured in policies and documents.”

BY Abigail Annoh