The National Youth Authority (NYA) and UNICEF have held an inception and stakeholder meeting in Adidome, Central Tongu District, to introduce an Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and Youth Engagement Centre (YEC) programme. The initiative aims to create a supportive environment where young people can develop knowledge, skills, and confidence to make responsible decisions and prepare for adulthood.
According to Mr. Yao Semoade, Volta Regional Director of the NYA, adolescents are often exposed to peer and societal influences that can lead them into sexual activities undermining their future aspirations. The programme seeks to provide young people with appropriate information, guidance, and support. The YEC, a collaboration between NYA and UNICEF, will offer safe spaces for young people to share concerns and experiences without fear of judgement.
The Youth Engagement Centre will provide counselling, guidance, and opportunities for young people to channel their energies into productive activities. The stakeholder engagement aims to gather relevant information and perspectives from the district to shape a programme responding effectively to young people's needs. The ASRH programme, running from 2026 to 2028, will strengthen adolescents' knowledge, skills, and agency, promote youth-informed evidence, policy engagement, and public financial accountability in selected districts.
The programme will equip adolescent girls and boys with gender-transformative life skills and knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and rights, while strengthening youth participation in policy and budget consultations. Mr. Selorm Kwadzo Aklasu-Aho, Regional Programmes Officer of the NYA, said the action plan will focus on making Youth Engagement Centres ready, safe, accessible, and responsive to young people's needs.
The initiative will access existing facilities rather than constructing new centres, with attention to physical infrastructure, digital access, staffing, safety, governance, and partnerships. A YEC should be more than a physical building, and its effectiveness will depend on whether young people can access it, feel safe using it, receive appropriate services, and trust the system.
The programme will also explore digital options to extend services to young people who live far from physical centres, face transportation challenges, or prefer accessing information and referrals remotely. The action plan involves mapping existing facilities, assessing their readiness, identifying gaps, developing district-level improvement plans, and strengthening youth participation in service design and monitoring.
District Chief Executive for Central Tongu, Mr. Addison Dodzi Mornyuie, described the stakeholder engagement as important, saying young people are the future leaders and need to be meaningfully engaged to protect development continuity across generations. Participants, including Assembly Members, Police Service, Ghana Health Service, and youth groups, pledged to support advocacy and implementation of the programme.
Key points
- The programme aims to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health and provide young people with safe spaces to share concerns and experiences.
- The initiative will equip adolescent girls and boys with gender-transformative life skills and knowledge on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- The programme will explore digital options to extend services to young people who face challenges accessing physical centres.
