Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak has expressed deep concern over the number of teenage pregnancies recorded in the Upper East Region, particularly involving minors between the ages of 10 and 14 years.
Dr. Apaak, who is also the Builsa South Member of Parliament, stated that the situation calls for urgent attention in dealing with the factors causing the problem.
He was reacting to statistics released by the Ghana Health Service during a regional review meeting on the Essential Services Package (ESP) for women and girls subjected to violence.
According to the report, the Upper East Region recorded 2,436 teenage pregnancies between January and May 2025.
Of this figure, 25 cases involved girls aged 10 to 14 years, while the remaining 2,411 were between 15 and 19 years.
Bawku West District recorded the highest number with 372 cases, followed by Pusiga (276), Bongo (212), Talensi (210), Kassena Nankana West (198), Kassena Nankana Municipal (196), and Bolgatanga Municipal (152).
Other districts included Bawku Municipal (147), Tempane (123), Garu (118), Builsa South (116), Nabdam (100), Binduri (86), Builsa North (78), with Bolgatanga East recording the lowest with 52 cases.
The Deputy Education Minister, reacting to the statistics, described the situation as terrible and requiring urgent attention.
He also proposed that mechanisms ought to be adopted to provide support to those who are already in the situation, stressing the need not to abandon them.
“This is terrible news. We must, as a matter of urgency, identify and deal with the causal factors to prevent this from reoccurring. While at it, we must put in place mechanisms to assist those who are already in this situation. We can not, and must not, neglect or abadon them,” he said a social media post.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
