Target governments to solve reproductive health needs in Africa

The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, has called for advocacy directed towards governments and political leaders if reproductive health needs and the challenges associated with it in sub-Saharan Africa are to be addressed.

She said reproductive health policy and programmes should be viewed not only as health-related issues but also as educational, employment and security policies.

Dr Appiah said this at the Experts Group Meeting on Assessing the Status of Implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action at the United Nations (UN) in New York.

The meeting, chaired by Noemí Ruth Espinoza Madrid, Deputy Permanent Representative of Honduras and Chair of the 57th session of the CPD, focused on examining progress and gaps in implementing the goals and objectives set out in the ICPD Programme of Action.

Dr Appiah who delivered a presentation on the African perspective, focusing on the current situation, health, economic and security perspectives was of the view that governments and stakeholders in the region must consider local production of contraceptives to enhance accessibility, adding that engaging communities through evidence-based advocacy, particularly on the negative consequences of child marriages, teen pregnancies and unintended pregnancies, could help raise awareness and garner support.

Additionally, she said a widespread public campaign should promote rights and choices, emphasising the health, educational, economic and security benefits of contraceptive use.

Current demographics and health implications

She said Africa's high population growth rate was sustained by preventable conditions such as child marriage, teen motherhood and unmet need for family planning.

These factors, she said, contributed to a high number of unintended pregnancies, leading to increased maternal and infant mortality and morbidity.

Consequently, she said a significant number of individuals experienced suboptimal health outcomes, resulting in a high dependency ratio.

Current situation

She said Africa's current demographic indicators showed a total fertility rate of 4.6 per woman, 100 per 1000 teen pregnancies, with 40 per cent of the total population being under 15 years old, and a median age of 18 years.

Also she said there was an unmet need for family planning at 37 per cent, and the annual population growth rate of 2.41per cent.

The region she said faced challenges in addressing the 3.2 per cent HIV prevalence and a lower life expectancy of 61.63 years compared to the global average of 72.6 years.

Also she said of particular concern was the significant fertility differential between the rich and poor quintiles, which could hinder fertility decline if not targeted for intervention.

Dr Appiah added that the current demographics and security implications were intertwined, with Africa's median age of 18 years falling within the documented crime-prone age group of 15 to 24 years.

This situation she said made young individuals vulnerable to various vices when their needs were not met by the government.

Notably, the UNDP's report in 2021 cited sub-Saharan Africa as the new global epicenter of violent extremism, accounting for almost half of global terrorism deaths.

Lack of job opportunities 25 per cent and the need for livelihood 40 per cent were cited as key motivations for joining extremist groups.