Mrs Samira Bawumia, wife of the Vice President, has expressed concern about the rate of pregnancy among adolescent girls in Ghana.

Mrs Samira Bawumia, wife of the Vice President, has expressed concern about the rate of pregnancy among adolescent girls in Ghana.

Though adolescent pregnancies declined from 12.1 percent in 2015 to 11.8 percent in 2016, Mrs Bawumia said the rate needs further reduction if Ghana is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 which targets gender equality and women empowerment by 2030.

Mrs Bawumia said this while addressing the National Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocacy forum in Kumasi.

The progamme, themed “Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy – A Shared Responsibility”, brought together stakeholders in the health sector to discuss and address issues affecting adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

With a the population of five million people in the Ashanti Region, 21.8 per cent constitute adolescents. In 2016, 395 teenagers got pregnant out of which 323 were minors between the ages of 10 and 17.

Mrs Bawumia bemoaned what she termed the high rate of teenage pregnancy and emphasized the need to prioritize the health of adolescents, who constitute 29.3 per cent of the country’s population.

She called for the creation of a safe and supportive environment for adolescents to access appropriate information on sexual and reproductive health.

The Director-General of Ghana Health Services, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, expressed the hope that the launch of a five-year National Adolescent Health Service Policy and Strategy would help achieve the overall health sector goals for adolescents and young people.

Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei-Mensah asked for collective effort towards addressing adolescent pregnancy to secure the future of most girls.

Source:Ibrahim Abubakar|TV3|3news.com|
Posted by:Nabeel Moomin Ali|BurnuppGH|

Teachers impregnate 301 teenagers in Central Region

Teachers in the Central Region have been named among the top groups of people who impregnated teenage girls in the area in 2016.

They are reported to have impregnated 301 of the 12,048 pregnant young girls in the region in 2016.

Drivers, small-scale miners, and small-scale farmers are also among the top culprits responsible for teenage pregnancy in the region.

This was revealed at the 2016 Ghana Health Service (GHS) performance review event held at the University of Cape Coast.Out of the 12,048 young girls who got pregnant in the region, small-scale farmers were responsible for 986 (19.3 percent) of them, while drivers were responsible for 676 (13.2 percent).

Small scale miners were responsible for 397 (7.8 percent) of those pregnancies, while unemployed men were responsible for 353 (6.9 percent).

Primary and secondary school teachers followed with 301 pregnancies, representing 5.9 percent of all teenage pregnancies in the Central Region in 2016.

About 837 of the pregnant teenagers could not confirm the profession of their partners.

According to the GHS, although the number of teenage pregnancies recorded in the year under review, indicated a decline from previous figures of 12,048 in 2015, and 13,355 in 2014, it was still “unacceptably high.”

The Central Region has consistently topped the chart of regions with the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the country.

A 2014 report on teenage pregnancy in Ghana compiled by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, observed that people living along the coastal areas particularly the Central Region, and the Greater Accra Region, witnessed high rates of teenage pregnancy prevalence.

About 231 of all teenage pregnancies were girls of age 14 and below.

Meanwhile, 3,576 of the teenage girls are still single with 283 married to their partners.

By: Citifmonline.com/Ghana
Posted by:burnuppgh/Nabeel A. Moomin

Teachers impregnate 301 teenagers in Central Region

Teachers in the Central Region have been named among the top groups of people who impregnated teenage girls in the area in 2016.

They are reported to have impregnated 301 of the 12,048 pregnant young girls in the region in 2016.

Drivers, small-scale miners, and small-scale farmers are also among the top culprits responsible for teenage pregnancy in the region.

This was revealed at the 2016 Ghana Health Service (GHS) performance review event held at the University of Cape Coast.Out of the 12,048 young girls who got pregnant in the region, small-scale farmers were responsible for 986 (19.3 percent) of them, while drivers were responsible for 676 (13.2 percent).

Small scale miners were responsible for 397 (7.8 percent) of those pregnancies, while unemployed men were responsible for 353 (6.9 percent).

Primary and secondary school teachers followed with 301 pregnancies, representing 5.9 percent of all teenage pregnancies in the Central Region in 2016.

About 837 of the pregnant teenagers could not confirm the profession of their partners.

According to the GHS, although the number of teenage pregnancies recorded in the year under review, indicated a decline from previous figures of 12,048 in 2015, and 13,355 in 2014, it was still “unacceptably high.”

The Central Region has consistently topped the chart of regions with the highest number of teenage pregnancies in the country.

A 2014 report on teenage pregnancy in Ghana compiled by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, observed that people living along the coastal areas particularly the Central Region, and the Greater Accra Region, witnessed high rates of teenage pregnancy prevalence.

About 231 of all teenage pregnancies were girls of age 14 and below.

Meanwhile, 3,576 of the teenage girls are still single with 283 married to their partners.

By: Citifmonline.com/Ghana
Posted by:burnuppgh/Nabeel A. Moomin

Broadcast Journalist, Nana Aba Anamoah gets new appointment in NPP

Broadcast Journalist Nana Aba Anamoah has been appointed as the News Editor of
GhOneTV. Her new mandate started on March 1, 2017.

Anamoah joined the EIB Network owned station in December 2016 as a lead news anchor. She also hosts ‘ Cheers,’ a female dominated sports discussion show on the Ridge based Television station.

She is also the co-founder of SN Media Learning Tree , an institute dedicated to delivering effective and efficient methods in sharpening the skills of media personnel through both proven and innovative methods.

EIB Network is Africa’s fastest growing Media company, which also owns Starr FM, Kasapa FM, Ultimate FM, Empire FM, Abusua FM, Agoo FM, Agoo TV, and the Daily Heritage newspaper

Child marriage statistics embarrassing to Ghana – Charlotte Osei

The Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson has described as “embarrassing” the rate at which girls of school going age are married off by their parents, mostly to older men.

Mrs. Charlotte Osei said the rising statistics about the issue demonstrates the country went to sleep after being the first sovereign nation in Africa to rectify the International Convention on the Right of the Child.

She was speaking on a special edition of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show which was hosted by Samira Bawumia, wife of Vice-President, Mahamudu Bawumia, and featured former Deputy Finance Minister Mona Quartey, Lawyer, Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee, Madam Joyce Aryee, Senior Director-in-Charge of Government Relations at Newmont Africa, Ama Sarpong Bawuah.

The Convention, spearheaded by the United Nations (UN), is a human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. It was adopted on November 20, 1989.

The EC boss said child marriages in the country is not a function of culture, but rather poverty and lack of education.
According to UNICEF’s 2015 report, one in four women in Ghana married before the age of 18, representing 27 percent of the population.

It said the issue has increased nationwide from 25.9 percent in 2006 to 27 percent in 2011.
Available statistics show the menace has been increasing in three regions of the country – Upper East with 39.2 percent, Western Region with 36.7 percent and Upper West Region with 36.3 percent.

Mrs Osei who is the first woman to head Ghana’s elections governing body said the only way to stem the tide of the menace would be to adopt a holistic approach.

“It means that the solution must come from all of us,” she said, adding educated women in privileged positions in the country must join the fight.

“We need to support our sisters to make them empowered…we can show some concern and be the change that we want to see,” she said.

She disclosed some of the parents who give their children in marriage are sometimes in dire financial straits needing less than GHC50 to survive.

Mrs Osei said the country can no longer depend on the government and police to solve the problem.
“Get involved, talk to the woman who sells roasted plantain…by opening our hearts to care a little, things will change,” she said.
She entreated educated women in the country to be role models to empower girls who have come out of early marriage.

“We need to start engaging the people who are serving us everyday. We need to get engaged in their own lives,” she charged women.

Source:myjoyonline.com
Posted by BurnuppGH/Nabeel A.Moomin

WASSA WEST CIRCUIT HOLDS 3RD ATFAL DAY

The Wassa West Circuit marked its 3 Atfal rally on  February 11, 2017 at Prestea in the Huni-Valley District in the Western Region of Ghana. The purpose of organizing such rallies is to groom the Atfal and prepare them for the future.

About 60 Atfal from five jamaats out of seven in the Wassa West Circuit participated in the event. The five jamaats were Tarkwa Central, Huni-Valley, Aboso, Essamankakraba and Prestea. About 20 Khuddam, six members of the Ansarrullah and 10 members of Lajna Imaillah were also present at the rally.

Three Regional Aamila members namely Bashirudin Adam (Nazim Ummumi), Abdul Salam Ponipuo (Add. Ishaat) and the Regional Atfal Secretary (Issah Mahadi Annan) also graced the ocassion.  The Circuit Missionary, Ustaz Abdul Kaleem Ibrahim, Circuit President, Mr. Iddris Appiah and the Jamaat President for Prestea were also present at the rally.

Mr. Mustapha Ahmed, the Circuit Atfal Secretary, in his welcoming address, outlined the significance of organizing such programmes for the Atfal to create the opportunity to evaluate the significant contribution of Atfal in the progress of the jamaat. He urged the Atfal to take the programme seriously and participate actively in all the competitions.

The program started with a route march through the principal streets and the main lorry station of Prestea township. The religious academic competitions comprised of oral and written quiz, salat performance, Qu’ran recitation and memorization, Al-Qaseeda, ‘‘To the Nation’s Youth’’ and Azan calling.

The Circuit Missionary, Ustaz Abdul Kaleem Ibrahim, congratulated the Atfal for their tremendous performance in the competitions whiles stressing the need for improvement in their religious knowledge. He urged them to be truthful and obedient to their parents and authority.

The Chairman, Mr. Iddris Appiah, in his closing remarks urged the Atfal to take their studies seriously whiles being active in their salaat performance.

Source:mkaghana/Abdul Salam Ponipuo
Posted by BurnuppGH/Nabeel A. Moomin