Ghana: VR Trains Boys As Allies in Preventing Teenage Pregnancy

27 November 2025
Ghanaian Times (Accra)
By SAMUEL AGBEWODE

ADIDOME — The Volta Regional Directorate of the Department of Gender, in partnership with the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), has launched an adolescent reproductive health programme aimed at preventing teenage pregnancy by strategically involving boys as allies.

Supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Global Affairs Canada, the initiative has already trained 40 men and 30 boys from 18 communities across Keta Municipality, Akatsi North District, Central Tongu District, Adaklu District, and Anloga District.

Speaking at a one-day workshop for 150 boys from 12 Junior High Schools (JHS) and Adidome Senior High School (SHS) in the Central Tongu District, the Volta Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe, emphasised the critical role men and boys play in preventing teenage pregnancy.

She noted that educating them on girls' reproductive health would encourage responsible behaviour, delay early sexual activity, and foster cooperation in performing gender roles that promote societal harmony.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

Related Articles

Mrs Kpe explained that the programme equips boys to support girls, appreciate shared responsibilities, and help girls grow into responsible adults.

She urged boys to avoid using masculinity to discriminate against girls or the vulnerable, and condemned harmful cultural practices such as trokosi, early marriage, and female genital mutilation, which undermine girls' potential.

Highlighting the health aspects, Public Health Nurse, Ms Patience Kudu, stressed the dangers of premarital sex, noting that both boys and girls risk teenage pregnancy and lifelong sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea and syphilis.

She explained that untreated STIs could lead to complications like impotence and urged adolescents to focus on education rather than early sexual activity.

Through the training, boys acquired skills to educate peers about the importance of respecting gender roles, avoiding early sex, and supporting girls' reproductive health. The initiative seeks to cultivate responsible future adults by encouraging cooperation, gender equality, and healthy behaviours among adolescents.

Read the original article on Ghanaian Times.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 Ghanaian Times. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 120 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.