The event, which took place in Tongo in the Upper East Region, was attended by teachers and some selected teenage girls who represented the various basic schools in the Talensi District.

Speaking at the event, Mr James Twene, Acting Upper East Regional Director at the Department of Gender, indicated that the programme in collaboration with the Girl Child Education Officers from the Ghana Education Service would be extended to five other districts across the Upper East Region with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA).

Mr Twene said the programme would educate adolescent girls on the need to abstain from early sex, which could expose them to undesirable conditions such as teenage pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), child marriage among others.

Mr Twene said the face to face interaction with the adolescent girls was an opportunity for the Department of Gender to discover issues that affected their studies which often led to school dropout among many teenage girls.

The Director said the Department would mentor the girls in and out of school to enable them pursue higher goals for themselves, their families and society.

He urged parents to cater properly for their wards and said the lack of proper parental care often exposed teenage girls to unnecessary peer influence.

Madam Elizabeth Adongo, Deputy Regional Director at the Center for National Culture, called on teenage girls to desist from practices that could jeopardize their reproductive wellbeing in future.

Madam Adongo noted that with discipline and hard work, adolescent girls could pursue education to higher heights just like their male counterparts.