Adolescents and young people make up a quarter of Ghana’s population and represent the country’s greatest potential for growth and transformation. Yet many face barriers that undermine their health, education, and future opportunities, including early pregnancy, limited access to family planning, mental health challenges, and high exposure to violence and HIV. Recognizing these challenges, Ghana joined countries across Western and Central Africa in committing to invest in adolescents’ well-being to ensure they are educated, healthy, and thriving.
Building on this commitment, Ghana convened a two-day national meeting to disseminate the Western and Central Africa (WCA) Commitment for Educated, Healthy, and Thriving Adolescents and Young People, and to orient stakeholders on the updated the Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!2.0) Guidance.
Opening the meeting on behalf of the Minister of Health, the Chief Director, Mr. Desmond Boateng, described the WCA Commitment as a pledge to place young people at the centre of policy and service delivery.
“This meeting provides us with the platform to disseminate our commitment and orient key stakeholders on tools, strategies, and approaches. Together, this will guide us to improve service delivery, enhance coordination, and ensure the voices and needs of young people remain central.”.
Dr. Katherine Attoh, the National Professional Officer for Reproductive Maternal Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Healthy Ageing at WHO Ghana, highlighted the importance of the updated AA-HA!2.0 guidance, which integrates lessons learned over the past six years and reflects the voices including experiences during COVID-19.
“WHO remains committed to supporting the Government of Ghana in ensuring that adolescents are healthy, educated, and thriving,” she said.
The meeting highlighted progress and challenges in adolescent health. School completion rates are improving and nearing gender parity, yet setbacks remain. Adolescent pregnancies account for 10% of all pregnancies, while unmet need for family planning among unmarried young women stands at 44%. Mental health concerns affect 26.6% of adolescents, drug use 5.7%, and physical inactivity 82%. Violence, unintended injuries, and HIV/AIDS also remain major risks, with young people accounting for 31% of new HIV infections in 2024.
Speakers underscored the importance of youth engagement in shaping solutions. “Young people must be meaningfully involved in every stage of planning and implementation,” stressed Mrs. Selina Dussey, Head of Quality at the Ministry of Health. A dynamic youth and adult panel further echoed this, with youth representatives calling for accountability, and traditional and religious leaders highlighting the role of culture and community-based approaches.
The discussions also focused on the AA-HA!2.0 guidance. Dr. Prerna Banati from WHO Headquarters explained that the tool is designed to help countries identify priorities, strengthen in-country engagement, and support collaborative implementation. Participants further explored evidence-based interventions, health-promoting schools, and practical approaches to needs assessments and landscape analyses, led by Dr. Geoffrey Bisoborwa, WHO Regional Advisor for Child and Adolescent Health.
Workgroup discussions enabled stakeholders to prioritize adolescent health needs and refine Ghana’s draft action plans developed at the Lomé regional meeting. A key outcome was the agreement to conduct regional-level dissemination and joint planning with WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, and the Ministries of Health and Education, to accelerate implementation of Ghana’s national plan for adolescent health and education.
By advancing the WCA Commitment and adopting the AA-HA!2.0 guidance, Ghana has taken another decisive step toward ensuring that adolescents are not only healthy and educated, but also empowered to thrive.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO), Ghana.
