Accra, Oct. 24, GNA - Adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues should be seriously addressed to ensure that the youth are well catered for to improve their quality of life, Nana Akomea, Minister of Youth, Manpower and Employment, said on Wednesday.

"More than 40 per cent of adolescents are very worried about getting HIV/AIDS, with one in three worried about getting pregnant, or getting someone pregnant," Nana Akomea said at the launch of a monograph entitled "Protecting the Next Generation in Ghana." He noted that half of adolescents were also worried about their health and at least one in three was worried about getting enough to eat."

The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), the Guttmacher Institute of the United States and University of Cape Coast developed the Monograph aimed at helping in the development and implementation of strategies that can have a lasting impact on the sexual reproductive health of adolescents.

Nana Akomea said with one-fifth of Ghanaians between the ages of 10-19, there was the need for renewed commitment from government, community leaders, parents, health care providers and other stakeholders about their condition.

The Minister noted that information from the project (Monograph) confirmed in a more scientific way what was observed on the streets, schools and homes, such as the high unintended pregnancies leading to school dropouts, inadequate knowledge and use of sexual reproductive health service and indiscipline.

Nana Akomea said to achieve the MDGs, the Maputo Plan of Action which brought to the fore issues such as empowerment of women, elimination of unsafe abortion and traditional practices which constituted barriers to reproductive health services, needed to be continuously explained, promoted, defended and brought to light. He expressed the hope that the monograph would serve as an important guide for stakeholders to ensure that issues facing adolescents in Ghana adequately addressed concerns and challenges ahead of them.

To the youth, he said, "Let me assure you that you are dear to the heart of government and every effort will be made to support and help us to achieve your potentials."

Professor Kofi Awusabo-Asare, Head of the Research Team, explained that sexual activity among the youth was a sensitive topic and addressing it in public was even more challenging. He, however, noted that the need for sexual reproductive health services and the potential benefit of meeting that need was great. This is because improving the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents was not only important from a public health perspective but from an economic one as well.

Throwing more light on the statistics in the monograph he noted that among 20-24 year-old females, eight per cent had had sex before age 15, 43 per cent before age 18, 71 per cent before age 20 while among males, four per cent has sex before age 15, 26 per cent before age 18 and 55 per cent before age 20.

This, he said, was an indication that females were more likely than males to have sex, early and unwanted sex as teenagers. Professor Awusabo-Asare said fear of pregnancy, and not Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), motivated many youth to avoid sex or use contraceptives.

The project, he noted, identified lack of adequate knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issues, diverse sexual health care needs and adolescents preferring to obtain reproductive health care from clinics but often too shy to do so as some of the dire needs of the youth.

He called for actions on many fronts to meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of the adolescent.

Professor Awusabo-Asare identified some of the actions as training peer educators, youth friendly counsellors and community-based providers and targeting of hard-to-reach populations in addition to making the media an integral part of prevention efforts. Ms. Rejoice Nutakor, Programme Manager for Adolescent Health and Development, Ghana Health Service, said the monograph fulfilled the mandate of the health sector to carry out research activities on a regular basis. It simplified their work to carry out its mandate as an intelligence centre to other sectors involved in promoting the health and development of the youth.

Mr Francis Yankey, Executive Director, PPAG, said the project was aimed at involving young people in addressing their peculiar needs their own way and provoke adult who behaved like ostriches and pretended that the youth did not know anything. He called for a sustained investment in sexual and reproductive health of adolescents to make them more responsible. 24 Oct. 07