The Livelihood Empowerment and Productive Inclusion Programme for Vulnerable and At-Risk Out-of-School Adolescent Girls has been launched in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region, to prevent and respond to child marriage and teenage pregnancies. This initiative forms part of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, which is currently in its third phase of implementation since its launch in 2016.
The program aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 5, Target 5.3, which aims to eliminate harmful practices like child marriage by 2030. Speaking during the launch, Christiana Gbedemah, Social Policy Specialist with UNICEF, highlighted that the program’s dual goals are to improve income security and economic opportunities for vulnerable adolescent girls and to increase their bodily autonomy and decision-making power.
“The practice of child marriage in Ghana has declined from about 40% in the 1980s to 19.3% in 2018. However, one in five girls is still married or in an informal union before the age of 18, and marriage by age 15 has stalled at 5% over the last decade. Key drivers include poverty, economic hardship, rural living, inadequate education, adolescent pregnancy, and social and gender norms,” she noted.
Madam Gbedemah emphasized the importance of a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach to addressing these issues effectively. The initiative provides a comprehensive solution by offering life skills training, business management and technical training, start-up cash grants, marketing support, and financial literacy coaching, among other interventions.
The pilot phase, which will run from 2024 to 2027, is spearheaded by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development (MLGDRD) in partnership with the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with technical and financial support from UNICEF.
This new program builds on existing government interventions and targets adolescent girls aged 16–21 living in Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme (LEAP) households. A secondary target group will include participants from the Ghana Health Service Adolescent Safety Net Programme. The implementation will leverage the Complementary Livelihood Assets Support Scheme (CLASS) under Ghana’s social protection system.
Madam Freda Faah, Chief Budget Analyst at the Local Government Ministry, delivering a statement on behalf of the Chief Director of the ministry, Alhaji Amin Abdul-Rahaman, emphasized the socioeconomic challenges faced by adolescent girls. She noted that economic insecurity often leads to early sexual activity, adolescent pregnancy, and early marriage, with far-reaching implications for both the girls and society.
Upper East Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, who officially launched the program, acknowledged the role of social protection in reducing child marriage and teenage pregnancy. “Here in Ghana, we often hear stories of parents giving out their adolescent girls in marriage due to poverty and lack of opportunities. Poverty is also a major causative factor for teenage pregnancy. This program aims to address these root causes,” Dr. Bin Salih remarked.
The pilot program will be implemented in Kassena-Nankana Municipal in the Upper East Region and East Mamprusi Municipal in the North East Region. Dr. Bin Salih urged the beneficiary assemblies to fully support the project team to ensure its success.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1 MHz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
