Correspondence from the Eastern Region

The New Juaben Traditional Area in the Eastern Region has taken a decisive stand against adolescent pregnancy and child marriage, declaring a commitment to end harmful practices during a colourful Akwasidae durbar held at the forecourt of the Yiadom ne Hwedie Palace in Koforidua.

The declaration, made on Sunday, December 21, 2025, brought together traditional authorities, government officials, development partners, religious leaders and community members in what many described as a historic cultural and moral turning point for the Eastern Region.

Paramount Chief and President of the New Juaben Traditional Council, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, reaffirmed his commitment to leaving a lasting legacy of development anchored in responsible parenting and youth protection.

He attributed teenage pregnancy largely to weak parental supervision and urged families to take greater responsibility for the moral, educational and social upbringing of their children.

The Omanhene also outlined broader development initiatives, including proposed sister-city partnerships, plans to provide mechanised boreholes across all 34 electoral areas and ongoing efforts to improve road infrastructure in the area.

In a statement delivered by Dr. Doris Aglobitse on behalf of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Resident Representative, Dr Wilfred Ochan commended the New Juaben Traditional Council for demonstrating that culture, when guided by compassion and foresight, can serve as a powerful tool for social transformation.

He described adolescent pregnancy and child marriage as a “moral, cultural and generational crisis” that threatens the legacy entrusted to traditional leaders by their ancestors.

Dr Ochan noted that Ghana’s population remains significantly youthful, with about 9.6 million people aged between 10 and 24 years, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census. While progress has been made in expanding access to education and strengthening gender-responsive laws and policies, he said poverty, harmful gender norms and social inequalities continue to expose adolescent girls to early pregnancy and marriage.

He highlighted the UNFPA–UNICEF Adolescent Girls Programme (AGP), supported by the Government of Canada, which focuses on empowering adolescent girls to make informed choices and experience safer, healthier transitions into adulthood.

The programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and civil society partners, including the Obaapa Development Foundation.

The Obaapa Development Foundation, a Ghanaian non-governmental organisation with a strong focus on women’s rights, girls’ empowerment and community development, has played a key role in advancing the anti-child marriage agenda in New Juaben.

Through its Early Child Marriage Project, the Foundation works closely with chiefs, queenmothers, parents and young people to challenge harmful social norms, strengthen community child protection systems and support girls to remain in school. Its approach combines advocacy, leadership training and rights-based community engagement to position traditional authorities as champions of change..

Adding to the traditional leadership voices, Executive Director of the Obaapa Development Foundation, Nanahemaa Awindor, said the New Juaben Traditional Council was firmly committed to ending adolescent pregnancy and child marriage, describing them as harmful practices that undermine girls’ rights, education and health.

She emphasised the collective responsibility of traditional leaders, parents and communities in protecting girls and enforcing change.

The development queenmother of Afigya-Kwabre welcomed the partnership between UNFPA and the Obaapa Development Foundation, noting that their community-based and rights-focused interventions would help keep girls in school and secure their future.

The Okuapemhene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, also condemned teenage pregnancy and child marriage. He called for stricter parental responsibility, while other traditional leaders pledged to enforce community norms that prioritise education and child protection over early marriage.

Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, described the declaration as bold and timely, stressing that child marriage denies children their right to education, good health and dignity. She assured the New Juaben Traditional Area of the full support of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council in translating the declaration into concrete actions with measurable impact.

By aligning culture with human rights and development goals, stakeholders say the New Juaben declaration sends a powerful message that tradition exists to protect children, not endanger them. As Ghana intensifies efforts to end child marriage by 2030, New Juaben’s stance positions it as a model for ending harmful practices, one paramountcy at a time.