The Ghana office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has launched the State of World Population in Accra.
Annually, the UNFPA compiles a report on the state of the world’s population with critical areas identified to guide development planning.
The 2016 report, released officially on Oct.20, shows how 10-year-old girls, who are about 60 million in number worldwide, are the face of the world’s future and the starting point for achieving the globally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The report advances the fact that when a girl reaches age 10, her world changes and a number of life-changing events pulls her in many directions.
The UNFPA Country Representative Dr Babatunde Ahonsi, said since the future of girls is our common future, everyone should be involved in challenging gender discriminatory norms which greatly impede girls’ development.
“Now is the time for us to move forward and put them first. It is only when this is done, that the potential of the 10-year-old girl will be realized,” he said.
In Ghana, an estimated 322,560 girls turned 10 years of age this year, while an additional 322,757 girls would turn 10 years next year.
This indicates that more and more girls would attain this decisive age annually, in view of the country’s largely youthful population.
The Chairman of the National Population Council Dr William Ahadzie said investing in girls is therefore a must in order for Ghana to reap the demographic dividend.
“This is because any country having a large youthful population of which over 50 percent are girls could potentially see its economy soar, provided there are heavy investments in their education, health and protection of their rights.” Enditem
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(Via: NewsGhana)
