United Nations Population Fund — UN agency working on sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, gender-based violence prevention, and adolescent health in Ghana.
The Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for West and Central Africa, Dr Sennen Hounton, has reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting vulnerable adolescents in Ghana through programmes aimed at improving the lives of adolescent girls, boys …
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr Sennen Hounton, has arrived in Ghana to embark on a five-day official visit to the country from 19 to 23 July 2026. …
… Representing the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Faisal Bawah highlighted the importance of building the capacity of frontline service providers, improving coordination among referral institutions and promoting data-driven decision-making to enhance service delivery. …
World Vision Ghana, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and other key stakeholders, has convened a validation meeting to review findings from an assessment of health facilities in disaster-prone areas a …
… Observed annually on July 11, this year’s World Population Day is themed “Realising the hopes and aspirations of young people, today and for the future.” The theme is informed by the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) latest report, Lives, Choices and Futures, which draws o …
… This year’s observance is under the theme: “Realising the hopes and aspirations of young people, today and for the future.” Marriage and children remain priorities The report, based on the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Demographic Futures Survey, found that more than t …
… According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), citing data from the Ghana Health Service District Health Information Management System (DHIMS), Ghana recorded 542,131 pregnancies among girls aged 15 to 19 years and 13,444 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 years betw …
… The Country Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. David Wilfred Ochan, also called for greater investment in Africa’s young population, describing them as key partners in achieving sustainable development. …
… The workshop, funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ghana, brought together 90 apprentices drawn from various vocational sectors, including hairdressing, dressmaking, welding, fabrication and other occupational skills trades. …
Ghanaian development professional Sydney Hushie has been appointed Chief of the Digital Centre of Excellence at UNFPA headquarters in New York, where he will lead global efforts to use digital innovation and emerging technologies to improve sexual and reproductive health services. He joins from UNFPA's East and Southern Africa Regional Office, where he spent six years developing innovation and digital transformation work including medical drone pilots and virtual reality training for midwives.
Ghanaian development professional Sydney Hushie has been appointed Chief of the Digital Centre of Excellence at UNFPA headquarters in New York, where he will lead global efforts to use digital innovation and emerging technologies to improve sexual and reproductive health services. He joins from UNFPA's East and Southern Africa Regional Office, where he spent six years developing innovation and digital transformation work including medical drone pilots and virtual reality training for midwives.
Parents in Adidome, Central Tongu District, have called on the government to configure digital tablets distributed to Senior High School students to prevent access to adult content, citing concerns that such exposure distracts students from academics and encourages negative behavior. The request was raised during a community engagement session for the GREAT Model Household initiative, organised by the Volta Regional Directorate of the Department of Gender with support from the VRCC, UNFPA, and Global Affairs Canada.
The UN Population Fund has called for increased investment in health workers and reproductive health commodities to reduce maternal deaths in Ghana. UNFPA's Regional Director said Ghana produces trained health professionals but fails to recruit and distribute them adequately, adding that better distribution of existing workers could help address gaps without requiring additional funding.
Ghana's Health Service reports that more than 53,000 teenage pregnancies were recorded in health facilities in the first seven months of this year, averaging about 7,300 cases monthly, with 1,501 involving girls aged 10 to 14. According to the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 15.2 percent of girls aged 15 to 19 have ever been pregnant, with rates higher among older teenagers and those without formal education.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) trained service providers in Kumasi on gender-based violence (GBV) and human rights-responsive services as part of a joint Scale-Up Project running from 2024 to December 2026. The project aims to strengthen access to GBV and human rights-responsive services for survivors and marginalised groups.
The Acting Volta Regional Director of Education has urged adolescent girls in basic and second-cycle institutions to focus on their education and skills training to prepare for the future. She also encouraged them to pursue male-dominated professions and cautioned against early sexual activities and early marriage.
The UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa has warned that Ghana's progress in reducing maternal deaths could stall without deliberate incentives to retain health workers in remote areas, noting that medical professionals are reluctant to accept postings outside the capital.
The UN Population Fund has called for urgent presidential intervention over Ghana's maternal health crisis, stating that one woman dies every three hours in the country. The UNFPA Regional Director noted the problem is multisectoral, spanning roads, electricity, and human resources, and therefore requires coordinated action beyond the Ministry of Health alone.
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have intensified efforts against sexual and gender-based violence through community and institutional engagement in the Asokore Mampong Municipality, as part of a nationwide project to strengthen protections for survivors and improve their access to health, legal, and social support services.
The Ghana Immigration Service, in collaboration with UNFPA and the National Population Council, has intensified public education on gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, abuse and human trafficking among migrants and border communities in the Ketu South Municipality. The initiative brought together border authorities, migrants, traders, religious leaders and other stakeholders to discuss protection concerns using storytelling and drama.
The POS Foundation's executive director says Ghana's participation in the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review has produced tangible changes, including community-sentencing reform; however, significant commitments remain outstanding. He cited the Community Service Bill passed in July 2026 as a legislative outcome stemming from UPR recommendations to address prison overcrowding.
The Eastern Regional Coordinating Council and the United Nations Population Fund trained 120 parents in the Birim North and Kwahu West districts on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, under the Adolescent Girls Programme. The training aims to help parents guide their children through adolescence and continue conversations about the challenges adolescents face.
The Department of Gender in the Ashanti Region has raised concern over increasing teenage pregnancy among adolescents and stressed the need for sustained collaboration among parents, schools, communities, health professionals, government agencies and development partners to address contributing factors. The concern was raised during sensitisation workshops organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund and the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, aimed at strengthening adolescent-friendly health services and improving access to sexual and reproductive health information.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection called for stronger support systems to help teenage mothers return to school after childbirth, noting that while a "Back to School" policy exists, many do not return due to inadequate support. The ministry aims to achieve zero per cent child marriage by 2030 in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted pregnant women to avoid hospitals due to fears of infection, causing maternal deaths in Ituri Province to nearly double since May. According to the United Nations Population Fund, weekly maternal deaths rose from an average of 3.1 to 5.8 between late May and mid-July, with more women delivering at home where complications may go untreated.
Access Bank Ghana and the United Nations Population Fund have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve maternal healthcare and end obstetric fistula, with plans to expand corrective surgeries, intensify public awareness, and establish a Fistula Trust Fund for sustainable funding.
Access Bank Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNFPA to strengthen collaboration under the Partnership to End Obstetric Fistula in Ghana, aiming to expand access to corrective surgeries, intensify public awareness and mobilise sustainable funding. The bank is transitioning its long-running Fight Against Fistula campaign into a more sustainable institutional framework through the establishment of a Fistula Trust Fund.
Ghana's Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and UNFPA held a stakeholder coordination meeting to strengthen implementation of the Revised Adolescent Pregnancy Strategy (2026–2030), bringing together government, civil society, academia, religious leaders, youth groups and media to improve collaboration and address the issue of adolescent pregnancy, which affects about 15 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19.
Ghana's Youth Minister George Opare Addo said the country's 12 million young people are key to national prosperity, and that government investments in education, healthcare, skills, jobs, and entrepreneurship are essential. He highlighted programmes such as the National Apprenticeship Programme and Labour Exchange Programme as means of developing youth potential.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection held a dialogue with drivers and transport workers at Tema Lorry Station in partnership with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union and UN support, aiming to encourage men and boys to advocate for gender equality and help eliminate harmful practices including child marriage.
The UN Population Fund's Regional Director for West and Central Africa pledged to promote UNFPA Ghana's Youth Leaders Fellowship Programme (YoLe) across Africa, describing it as a unique comprehensive model combining youth leadership development, national service, and academic advancement that sets it apart from similar initiatives on the continent.
The United Nations Population Fund Regional Director for West and Central Africa has described Ghana's National Service model as a comprehensive youth development programme that combines national service, academic development, and skills advancement, and could serve as a model for other African countries.
The National Commission for Civic Education held a stakeholder engagement in Yunyoo-Nasuan District to strengthen community support for adolescent health, promote gender equality, and prevent gender-based violence, as part of an initiative run with the United Nations Population Fund and funded by Global Affairs Canada.
The University of Health and Allied Sciences and Ghana Health Service have launched a national leadership and management training programme for nurses and midwives in managerial positions, with a curriculum development meeting held at UHAS in Ho on 21 July, supported by the United Nations Population Fund.
The government and the United Nations Population Fund have called for increased investment in Ghana's estimated 12 million young people, urging stakeholders to prioritise education, healthcare, skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship to harness the country's demographic dividend.
The West and Central Africa Regional Director of UNFPA urged parents and caregivers to provide adolescent girls with comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education to protect them from unintended pregnancies and maternal deaths, noting that more than 30 per cent of maternal mortality in the region is among adolescent girls and is preventable.
The UNFPA Regional Director says improved data systems and modern census methods will help African governments identify underserved communities and address persistent healthcare access inequalities. He noted that 22 of 23 countries in the region will have conducted geo-referenced modern censuses by next year, enabling governments to target interventions more effectively.
The UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa has urged African governments to boost domestic investment in healthcare to end preventable maternal deaths, citing inadequate financing and unequal access to quality care in rural areas as key obstacles.
The National Commission for Civic Education has intensified community engagement in Chereponi District to address challenges affecting adolescents' growth, focusing on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and prevention of gender-based violence through a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund and funding from Global Affairs Canada.
The National Commission for Civic Education has conducted community engagement in Chereponi District to address challenges affecting adolescents' growth, focusing on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and prevention of gender-based violence. The initiative, implemented with the United Nations Population Fund and funded by Global Affairs Canada, brought together over 100 community members to promote behavioural change and equip adolescents with accurate health information.