ARUA – Teenage pregnancies remain a bottleneck in Uganda affecting not just the lives of the victims but also the country’s development at large. At 25%, Uganda has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
Every July 11th, Uganda joins the rest of the globe to commemorate World Population Day to raise awareness, advocate for reproductive rights, and encourage policies and programs that support sustainable development and the well-being of all individuals.
This year’s national celebrations are held in Arua, West Nile under the theme; “celebrating the past planning for the future towards meeting the needs of all.”
During a Pre-World Population Day Youth Dialogue, Dr. Rogers Ampwera – Executive Director, Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center (NTIHC) noted that although stakeholders have made several strides to put an end to teenage pregnancies, the vice is still at a high rate in the sub-region.
The dialogue was aimed at creating awareness of the demographic dividend issues affecting the young people in the sub-region, identifying interventions to address the issues, and soliciting commitments from leaders in the sub-region on how to invest in interventions to harness the demographic dividend.
He says that the sub-region still grapples with child marriages as one of the drivers of teenage pregnancies but also high school dropout rates.
“A number of them don’t join secondary after primary education which exposes them. We need to collectively rally leaderships within West Nile to effectively support government programmes especially universal primary and secondary education because we know that every year a secondary school student stays in school reduces the chances of getting pregnant by six percent.”
“So if we can push them to senior six, most likely, we can reduce teenage pregnancies by over 50%,” he noted, adding, “Equally, if we can skill the young people especially those out of school, we have seen that with financial independence, it also reduces the repeat teenage pregnancies by over 38%.”
Working with with Arua City, and Madi-Okollo, Naguru Teenage Center has identified a number of vulnerable adolescent girls and young women, put them into groups and supported them through loan schemes.
Dr. Ampwera explained that they have since formed 62 saving schemes each with 30 members who save as little money as they can, with the biggest having been able to save around sh15 million over the two years.
“Through these groups, we have seen growth in terms of accessing health services because they have weekly discussions around the health, financial, and social needs and they collectively address them.”
He added that they have been able to support four young people per group in skilling (mechanics, saloon, catering, bakery, woodwork) who are later given tool kits so that they start earning and again save in their saving schemes.
“That programme is ongoing and we believe that each year we can pick another four per group and by the time we close the project, we have skilled all the members within the groups.”
Dr. Ampwera says that the just released population census results which show that children aged between 0-17 constitute over 50% signifies dependence which poses a big challenge to the country’s development.
He called for improved human capital development, health service, and skilling for them (young people) to be productive in future.
At the event, Samuel Omwa – Acting Director General National Population Council said Uganda has recorded significant changes in the demographic and development landscapes increasing from 5 million in 1950 to 45.9 in 2024 and that it is projected to reach 103 million by 2050.
He says mortality is declining with infant mortality having declined from 122 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1991 to 36 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022. Fertility, which was over 7 children for a long time also declined from 7.4 in 1991 to 5.2 in 2022 and life expectancy has risen from 43 years in 1991 to 68 years in 2022.
“All this is attributed to the government investments in health, education, economy and good governance.”
The recent census results of 2024, show that Uganda’s population is fast growing at 45,935,046 people at a growth rate of 2.9%. Omwa noted that this population growth rate leads to an unfavourable population age structure which is adverse to harnessing the Demographic Dividend for socio-economic transformation as well as realization of Uganda’s Vision 2040.
Just like Dr. Ampwera, he agreed that the dominant young population implies a high number of young dependants, posing huge challenges.
He, however, noted that a large population of young adults represents a potential labour force that can increase growth through increased productivity and innovation.
“Young adults tend to have higher levels of consumption, which can stimulate economic activity across various sectors such as retail, entertainment, and housing among others. Investing in education and skills development for 18-30-year-olds can lead to a more educated and skilled workforce which is crucial for sustained economic development.”
Ms. Gift Malunga, UNFPA Representative, Uganda called for using of data-driven decision-making and evidence-based planning to achieve its national development plans and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“As Uganda strives to achieve middle-income status by 2040, it is prudent that data takes center stage in our development agenda, as accurate, reliable, and timely data is the life force of informed decision-making, effective problem-solving, and sustainable progress.”
She added, “On this day, it is also important to reflect on the theme and how data can be used as a tool to address disparities and inequalities to foster a culture of inclusivity and diversity and meet the sexual and reproductive health needs of all, including women and girls.”
“The importance of data for development cannot be overstated. Let’s harness the power of data to drive progress, accountability, and sustainable development. By embracing and leveraging data, we can create an equitable future for all and address inequality,” said Malunga.
However, she noted that while data is key to driving advancements in sexual and reproductive health and rights, it has also uncovered gaps. According to her, access to sexual and reproductive health continues to be hindered by inequalities within systems and societies because of gender, disability, socio-economic status, geographical location, and more.
She underscored the importance of sexual and reproductive health and gender equality in unlocking Uganda’s full potential to create a more just and equitable society for a prosperous and sustainable future.
