'Uganda's Teen Pregnancy Rate Hampers Development'

Civil Society Organisations have said the issue of teenage pregnancy has been neglected but has continued to be a bottleneck to the country's development. Several CSOs gathered to celebrate International Youth day under the theme "Intergenerational solidarity: The role of the youths in the implementation of the parish development model."

Elizabeth Ampairwe, the director of programmes at the Forum for Women in Democracy, said that although the government is commended for the launch of the Parish Development Model as a driver to transform Ugandans from a subsistence to a money economy, skyrocketing teenage pregnancy rates are likely to undermine the success of the programme, if left unaddressed. Ampairwe noted that during the Covid-19 lockdown, an estimated 650,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded.

CSOs urged government to invest more in livelihood promotion and skilling child mothers so that they acquire skills to start-up enterprises and income-generating activities. They also urged government to follow through with the gender ministry to operationalise the national strategy on ending child marriage and teenage pregnancy 2021-2026, and ensure that its implementation country-wide is budgeted for.