UNFPA steps up efforts to empower 400,000 adolescent girls by 2030

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF are collaborating to empower 400,000 vulnerable adolescent girls in Ghana by 2030. This initiative, backed by Global Affairs Canada, focuses on enhancing reproductive health, education, and access to critical services for marginalized girls, particularly those from rural areas, migrant backgrounds, and those with disabilities.

Programme Specialist Adjoa Yenyi, from UNFPA Ghana, highlighted the necessity of tailored interventions to address the diverse challenges faced by adolescent girls. These interventions aim to keep girls in school, empower them to make informed health decisions, and provide access to essential services. The programme aligns with UNFPA's broader mission to extend reproductive health education and services to young people beyond formal education settings.

Collaborating with government bodies and civil society organizations, UNFPA is enhancing menstrual hygiene initiatives and supporting out-of-school youth through partnerships with the Ministry of Health, Gender, Education, Complementary Education Agency, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Yenyi emphasized that reproductive health support is vital for broader youth development, warning that investments in education and skills could be undermined by issues like unintended pregnancies and sexual abuse.

She urged the media to highlight the contributions of young people to national development, calling for coverage of disparities between urban and rural communities, youth-led peacebuilding, and innovations in areas such as agribusiness and environmental sustainability.