PRESIDENT MAHAMA OPENS 17TH ACSHR WITH A CALL ON AFRICAN LEADERS TO END CHILD MARRIAGE

President John Dramani Mahama has opened the 7th Africa Conference on Sexual Health Rights in Accra with a call on all African first ladies to support their husbands to ensure the abolition of child marriage.

According to him, these girls ought to stay in schools and not in their husband's house hence opportunities must be created to keep these girls in school. "Government is doing all it can to ensure that girls stay in school by providing them free Senior High Day Community School" he said.

President Mahama stated that the provision of the free SHS will not only give them the opportunity become responsible in life but also keep them away from child marriage which normally happens after Junior High School.

On the issue of HIV/AIDS the President called on African First Ladies to support their husband's in the fight to end HIV/AIDS completely. According to the President even though there is significant drop in HIV cases, a lot more needs to be done in the area of educating the public on need to keep themselves from getting HIV/AIDS.

 "Those who have tested negative must learn how to keep themselves safe from contracting the disease, those who have tested positive must learn how to live long by taking anti retroviral " he noted.
The 3 days conference which has brought together 12 African First Ladies and over 700 participants is on the theme"Realising Demographic Dividened in Africa; the critical importance of adolescents and youth sexual and reproductive Health and Rights. 
  

The conference will be discussing and working out solutions for the prevention and elimination of HIV and AIDS. The first ladies will also work out solutions on reduction of maternal and infant mortality, elimination of child and forced marriages, and reduction of teenage pregnancies across the continent.

The first lady Mrs Lordina Mahama who is the patron of the 7th ACSHR called on the leaders of African continet to invest in the health, education and general development of adolescents and youth. This she believes is the most important strategy Africa can adopt in order to benefit from its fast growing youthful population.

The first lady made the call in her welcome address at the opening of the 7th ACSHR in Accra. According to her African leaders must consider all groups of young people including adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, young migrants and all other marginalized groups. That way, they are highly likely to keep smaller families and provide quality support for their dependents.

"The welfare of our people must be at the heart of all our development programs. There is no better way to do this than to invest in the adolescents and youth of today. We must position them to contribute meaningfully in our effort to realize the much talked about demographic dividend" she noted. According to her all stakeholders must advocate and work to ensure that particular investments are made in the health of young people and provide them with the services they need, free of stigma and discrimination, so that they live meaningful lives.

"We can avoid deaths due to preventable conditions, by ensuring that they have adequate access to sexual and reproductive health information and services" she added.
Nana Lordina stated that there are enough avenues for providing information and services to adolescents and young people to avert contracting sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. "Let’s work together with young people, to harness their highly utilized social media platforms and reach as many of them as possible. We should also work together to ensure that girls are allowed to stay in school and not be forced into child marriages " she stated. 

For his Part, UN under Secretary General and Executive Director of UNFPA, Professor Babatunde Osotimehim said it is time Africa move to the next level by building human capacity. He noted that Africa must invest in areas things that will enable the youth acquire skills in order to become responsible citizens to their various countries.

 "Africa has all the natural resources yet we import almost everything we consume " he said. Professor Babatunde said it's time Africa creates opportunities for its youth so that the can make impact in the development of the African continent. 

Commenting on the theme of the program "Realising Demographic Dividened in Africa; the critical importance of adolescents and youth sexual and reproductive Health and Rights", Professor Babatunde said it is appropriate since there cannot be any meaning development without the adherence of the rights of people.