He said it was time for all stakeholders to take the needed measures in their localities to safe guard the future of the children. Mr Duncan said this in a speech delivered on his behalf as part of activities held to commemorate the Akwambo festival at Kyeakor.

The festival was held under the theme: “Promoting girl child education and eliminating teenage pregnancy”. It was held to generate funds for the establishment of a Girl Child Education Fund to support brilliant but needy females in the society.

The Minister said the theme for the festival was appropriate as teenage pregnancy has become a great challenge to the development of region. Mr Duncan said available statistics indicate that there is a marginal reduction of teenage pregnancy in the Central Region from 15,014 in 2015 to 12,408 in 2016.

The reduction came about as result of increased advocacy in the past three years with the support from United Nations Population Agency (UNFPA) in collaborative effort by the Central Regional Co-coordinating Council which has resulted in many stakeholders taking keen interest in the fight against the concern, he said.

He called on all stakeholders interested in the grooming of the girl-child to join forces to help ensure that the education of the girl-child proceeds unrestrained. Mr Ekow Quansah Hayford, Member of Parliament (MP) for Mfantseman, used the occasion to express his appreciation and gratitude to people in the area for giving him their mandate to represent them.