He said teenage pregnancy and child marriage had become a big national concern, putting pressure on the limited resources and infrastructure and called for measures to control birth.
He said when people, especially the younger generation, had accurate information, regarding their sexual and reproductive health, they would make informed decisions, including increasing family planning acceptability, to ensure safe sex to prevent unplanned pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections, among others.
Mr Azam was speaking in Bolgatanga at the meeting of the Regional Population Advisory Committee organised by the National Population Council.
It was part of activities marking this year’s World Population Day on the theme: “Prioritising rights and choices: harnessing opportunities, the road to a resilient future for all.”
“Lack of prioritisation of reproductive rights and choices results in high unmet need for family planning. Quite apart from that the situation manifests in the cultural reasons for child marriage and child marriage negatively affects the married children themselves and the nation as a whole,” he said.
Ms Dora Kulariba, the Upper East Regional Adolescent Health Coordinator, Ghana Health Service, explained that the acceptability rate for family planning services in the region was low.
The region recorded 35 per cent, 39.5 per cent and 34.5 per cent in the first quarters of 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
This, she said, had led to high teenage pregnancies with the region scoring 15.2 per cent, 15.1 per cent and 14.9 per cent in the first quarters of 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Ms Kulariba noted that there was a need for stronger stakeholder engagement to ensure that parents were sensitised on the importance of sex education for their children at home to make informed decisions.
She said the move would also help to break societal norms and encourage young people to visit healthcare facilities to access youth-friendly health services regarding their sexual life.
Alhaji Ibrahim Habila, the Deputy Director of Administration, Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, reading a speech on behalf of Mr Stephen Yakubu, Upper East Regional Minister, charged stakeholders in the region to work together to address challenges confronting the growth and development of young people, to reduce teenage pregnancy, child marriage and poverty.