Family planning is a human right: an imperative to sustainable economic development

 “Every second, every day, every year, we fail to address demand for reproductive health and family planning services. Lives are lost, and girls’ opportunities to thrive and contribute to their country’s development shrink………..”-Jenny Shipley.

I am so excited to be getting married in a few months to come. In preparation towards having a blissful marriage, I ensure not to absent myself from any marriage seminar within my reach. In one of these seminars, I recollect vividly the speaker advising couples and yet-to-be couples to always plan their families, as it was essential for proper growth of the women and children amidst other benefits that comes with it.

Last Friday, I visited my grandmother who happens to be ninety-five years old. After exchanging pleasantries with her, I told her about my impending marriage and my thoughts of going in for family planning. Lo and behold, to my uttermost surprise, she disagreed vehemently adding that family planning was committing murder and asked why I wanted to reduce the number of children God wanted to give me.

That was when I realized that a lot has gone under the bridge and more needs to be done in educating the public on what at all family planning is and its benefits to the individual, society, and nation as a whole. It’s quite unfortunate that most Ghanaians in our modern era of civilization have embellished in their minds the same perceptions as my grandma.

The question I can’t stop myself from asking is: aren’t such Ghanaians aware that family planning is a human right and an imperative to sustainable economic development?

What Is Family Planning?

Family planning is a method of controlling the number of children one would want to have and the intervals between their births. Family planning includes the timing, spacing and limiting of pregnancy. It also includes the age at which one wishes to give birth. Family planning methods may involve the use of contraceptives, sex education and voluntary sterilization.

Often, young people are considered not old enough to use services and facilities that offer family planning, or they simply do not know that such services exist for them. However; the service applies to all women in their reproductive years (age 15-49). Due to the stress and sacrifices women have to go through during pregnancy and the subsequent responsibilities of motherhood, there is the need for women especially career women to plan the birth of their children.

 

This is because; no employer would want to give a woman three maternity leaves in five years which might reduce productivity and development and consequently lead to a lay-off. Proper planning and consideration, therefore, needs to be taken by career women only if they want to keep their jobs. Young girls who also do not want to abstain from sex must also know about family planning so as to avoid unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortions.

Family Planning as a Human Right

 

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), “family planning is not a privilege, but a right. Everybody in the world should have access to contraception. By simply helping women space and limit the number of children will add billions of dollars to the world economy improve global health, increase women’s education (which in turn boosts economic output) and save lives”.

 

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups. Family planning is central to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and it is a key factor in reducing poverty

The Government and Family Planning

There are no legal and constitutional provisions of family planning in Ghana. However, various national policies and strategy plans have addressed the topic of family planning. In Ghana, government support of family planning programmes began in 1969. Some of the major programme initiatives are the Contraceptive Social Marketing project (1987-1990), the Ghana Family Planning and Health Programme (FPHP) (1990-1996), and the Ghana Population and AIDS Project (GHANAPA) (1996-2000).

Family planning is also an important opportunity for identifying and managing other reproductive health problems, including STI/HIV/AIDS. As such, there has been deliberate efforts to train providers of family planning services in the management of STIs (counseling, diagnosis, and treatment/provision of drugs) using syndromic management over the years.

In 1994, the Ghana National Population Council introduced “The Ghana National Population Policy of 1994” which includes the following objectives:

  • To reduce the total fertility rate to 4.0 by 2010 and to 3.0 by 2020
  • To increase the modern contraceptive prevalence rate to 28percentby 2010 and to 50 percent by 2020
  • To achieve a minimum birth spacing of at least two years for all births by 2020. Revisions were made to the National Population Policy in 1994 which primarily focused on better integrating rural families who migrate to urbancenters, ensuring that family planning methods are accessible, and educating the community on population issues. The National Population Policy specifically outlined targets on fertility and contraceptive use.

Also in 1969, Ghana was the second African country to promulgate a policy supporting family planning, namely the policy paper “Population Planning for National Progress and Prosperity”. Further in 1969, the Ghanaian government conducted a large education campaign on family planning. The country’s first population policy of 1969 was followed by the establishment of the Ghana National Family Planning Programme (GNFPP) in 1970. The program was launched to implement the population policy through the use of existing governmental agencies.

In 2005, another comprehensive strategy, “A Road Map for Repositioning Family Planning in Ghana (2006-2010)” was developed. This national policy sought to improve family planning services into the various service components of reproductive health in Ghana within a five-year period by calling for an increase in: political commitment, public awareness and acceptance of family planning as important to national health and socio-economic development, and funding for family planning commodities and services.

In 2010, “Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda” was established between 2010 and 2013, which recognized family planning as a top priority for inclusion in national development plans and activities at all levels. This was followed by “Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda II” from 2014 to 2017 which focused on describing health service delivery intent and focusing on HIV, STI and family planning in Ghana.

The current policy is “Ghana Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan 2016-2020” (GFCIP). GFPCIP’s main objectives are to increase the use of contraceptives among married women to 30% and unmarried women to 40% by 2020. Ghana plans to implement this change through the financial resources of development partners amounting to $235 million (USD) between 2016 and 2020, to invest in community education, maternal and infant health care, infrastructure, and contraceptives and family planning counsel.

Family Planning and Economic Development

Economic development is the growth of the standard of living of a nation’s people from a low-income (poor) country to a high-income (rich) economy. When the local quality of life is improved, there is more economic development. Ghana has a high rate of population growth but unfortunately with few resources to cater, educate and feed the many people being born into the country.

The population of Ghana was 6.7 million in 1960; 8.6 million in 1970, in 1984 the population increased to 12.3 million people; the population grew to 18.9 in 2000 and went up to 24.51 in 2010. The total population of Ghana has multiplied over 4times to approximately 29 million as of 2017. However, in that same 1960, Spain had a population of about 30.5 and in 2017, their population was estimated to be about 46.4 million.

Comparing Spain to Ghana, it remains an undeniable fact that we have a high population growth depending on the very few resources the nation has which is obviously one of the many reasons why our country continues to sink in poverty. An estimated 38.8 per cent of the population is made up of the youth according to the Ghana Statistical Services.

We live in a country where access to quality healthcare and education is nothing good to write home about, the youth are not equipped with skills, our streets filled with street children and last but not least, the discussion of sex related issues forbidden in many homes even in this modern era, how do we progress then as a country?

Our youth especially the females lack knowledge on family planning and have been entangled by religion and traditional beliefs while we continue to rot in poverty and ignorance. It is disheartening to know that family planning programmes in resource-poor settings are usually fragile, show signs of poor performance and are both dependent on international funding and constrained by existing policies or lack thereof. However, it is exactly in those settings where family planning programmes are most needed if our country’s aim is to reduce inequalities in health, reduce maternal and child mortality rates, alleviate poverty and foster economic development.

Conclusion

The National Population Council (NPC) was established in 1992 and subsequently given legal backing under the National Population Council Act, 1994, Act 485, as the highest advisory body to the Government of Ghana on all population and related issues through advocacy and effective coordination of the implementation of all population policies and programmes. The establishment of the National Population Council was also in response to Article 37(4) of the 1992 Constitution, which states that: “The State shall maintain a population policy consistent with the aspirations and development needs and objectives of Ghana”.

In order to provide an improved quality of life for Ghanaians, the National Population Council was established as a statutory body mandated to coordinate, monitor and evaluate all population programmes in the country as well as conduct or commission research into existing and emerging population n issues of which family planning issues are dominant.

Despite masses of advocacies by the Council to fulfill its vision and mandate, it has been faced with numerous constraints. Notable amongst such constraints include inadequate financial support from all stakeholders across the country, logistical constrains, human resource among other various challenges.

The population of any Nation is its most valuable resource thus the need for all stakeholders, international agencies, the media, our religious organizations, various institutions, health organizations, political groups, parents and all to join hands with the government to develop the country through population management. Ghana is not an island, we are evolving with the world hence the need to be at pace with the world’s economic development through improved family planning and population management. This is our priceless home, let’s make it worth living.

Writers’ details: 0244805025 del77sly@yahoo.co.uk/ pkesewaa@gmail.com

Raise awareness on increasing population growth — Rawlings

Former President Rawlings with Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah (RIGHT) and the head of communication at the National Population Council, Mabel Selassie Awuku.
 

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has called on religious leaders and the media to help raise awareness of the country’s increasing rates in population growth.

According to him, the situation, if not checked, could pose a threat to the country’s socio-economic development. Considering their roles as key actors of change, Mr Rawlings said both religious leaders and the media had significant roles to play in shaping societal beliefs on population control. The former President made the call when the Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra. The director briefed Mr Rawlings about the effects of the growing population and reproductive health issues in the country.

Observations
Mr Rawlings noted that the increasing population growth “is as a result of a certain weakness” that must be addressed. He mentioned the lack of discipline and sense of responsibility as some of the factors contributing to the high population growth in the country. According to the former President, the country needed to embark on a serious campaign on family planning. “We could have had a better standard of living if the situation was controlled,” he stated.

Underdevelopment
For her part, Dr Appiah said the increasing population growth could lead to underdevelopment since countries with high population growth rates were often poor.

She added that for the country to make any headway in controlling its population, there was the need to embrace family planning. “We need to talk about manageable population size,” Dr Appiah stated, adding that: “We have to appreciate population management in economic development. “She indicated that one of the key objectives of the population policy was to “educate the youth on population matters which directly affect them, such as sexual relationship, fertility regulation, adolescent health, marriage and child bearing in order to guide them towards responsible parenthood and small family sizes”.

Population policy
Ghana adopted a population policy in 1969 as part of its commitment to implement appropriate strategies and programmes to manage population resources in a manner consistent with the government’s ultimate objective of accelerating the pace of economic modernisation and improving the quality of life of Ghanaians. The 1969 Population Policy was aimed at reducing the country’s high-expected population growth rate, which between 1960 and 1970 was 2.4 per annum with a target of 1.7 by 2000. The policy was, however, revised in 1994 to promote, clarify and sharpen the awareness and understanding among opinion leaders and the public at large of population issues and the implications of rapid population growth. Similarly, it is to ensure that population issues are systematically integrated into all aspects of development planning and activities at various levels of the administrative structure.

Akwamumanhene calls for small family sizes to control growing population

Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III.

The Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, has called for smaller family sizes as a way to control the country’s growing population.

He said encouraging people to have small family sizes is the way to go, considering the country’s limited resources and the global economy at large.

Odeneho Kwafo Akoto made the remarks at a day’s sensitization workshop organised by the National Population Council (NPC) on population, health and livelihood for the chiefs and people of Akwamu Traditional Area in the Eastern Region.

It was on the theme: “Teenage pregnancy and child marriage, effects on sustainable national development”.

Purpose of sensitization
The main goal of the advocacy workshop is to build alliances among traditional authorities for intervention programmes on family welfare, including family planning, to facilitate the achievement of sustainable development in the country.
The sensitization provided a platform for traditional leaders, opinion leaders and other citizens, including the youth of the Akwamu Traditional Area to deliberate on the development of the area through a measured population structure.
Small family sizes
Odeneho Kwafo Akoto said having small family sizes would help ensure a better society where people can have access to quality lifestyles, including, education, health, and other social services.

He explained that although there is no law restricting people to the number of children they can give birth to, people must only give birth to children they can cater for.

He added that it would be of no essence for people to give birth to children they cannot cater for, hence making such children to become frustrated in life.

Odeneho Kwafo Akoto said children whose parents are unable to cater for their needs always end up on the streets, engaging in all forms of social vices, including armed robbery and prostitution.

Population and development
The Executive Director of the NPC, Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, said healthy families are essential for any country as they have a direct impact on human, moral and social capital as well as on resource use.

She said with limited resources, high fertility makes it increasingly difficult for families to adequately feed, clothe, house, educate and provide medical care for children, adding that it also undermines savings.

She explained that high fertility and high population growth rate lead to a decrease per capita income in two ways—“firstly, more consumers divided any given amount of goods and secondly, each worker produces less because there is less capital per worker”.

Dr Appiah, however, said “with manageable family size and population growth, savings increases at the individual levels, translating into national funds for development”.

Role of chiefs
Touching on the workshop, she said traditional leaders and traditional structures are the pivot around which many African communities revolve, hence involving them in population related matters would help achieve the desired results.

“There is a strong link between traditional leadership, ethics and culture, with traditional leaders considered as custodians of culture from one generation to the next”, she said, adding that “they are therefore a key partner in population programmes as they are well placed to work with their communities to improve the quality of life of the people.

A Senior Lecturer from the Department of Population and Health at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr Kobina Esia-Donkor, said the government can change the country’s soaring population structure by investing in education and family planning.

He said having large family sizes would only result in financial constraints on both the families and the state at large, hence the need for people to reconsider the number of children they have in relation to their economic abilities.

GJA pledges support to help manage Ghana’s population

The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Appiah (middle) with the President of GJA, Roland Affail Monney (right) and the Administrator of the Ghana International Press Centre, Mr Fiifi Nettey

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has pledged support to help raise awareness on Ghana’s population issues.

Ghana’s population is hovering around 29million and according to the Population Council, there was the need to reduce the high-expected population growth rate. Speaking during a visit to the National Population Council in Accra, Mr Affail Monney said the media will help raise awareness on Ghana’s population growth rate and its intended effects. This, he said was to help enhance the speedy development of the country and engender the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ mantra of the government, aimed at making Ghana self-sufficient to accelerate development.

Mr Monney was of the view that the media had a critical role in helping to educate people to have small family sizes which they can cater for and set the agenda on population issues to help better position Ghanaians in making right choices with the use of the Ghana population policy document.

The Executive Director of the National Population Council, Dr Leticia Appiah, for her part, appealed to GJA to create an award category for Journalists who would champion the course of population and its attendant issues in the country. She bemoaned the high teenage pregnancy rate, adding that because many teenagers cannot cater for the welfare of the children they give birth to, such children end up becoming street children. She said if efforts are not intensified to address the high teenage pregnancies, “we will be suffering since 45 per cent of people on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) are under 18 years and also with 14 per cent teenage pregnancy rate,” she explained. “The NHIS is overburdened because of the high rate of deliveries by the unproductive group (teenagers) who are delivering for free and also on the NHIS”, Dr Appiah explained

Population & Housing Census-2010

The 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC) is the eleventh overall and the fifth post-independence national census. The first census in the country, conducted in 1891, was under the auspices of the then British Administration. Censuses were then carried out every ten years thereafter in 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931 when the Second World War disrupted the series, hence there was no census in 1941 (Bureau of Statistics, 1964; Engmann, 1985). After the war, a census was conducted in 1948, and that was the last to be organized by the then British Administration. The earlier censuses were conducted in the same years as censuses in the United Kingdom (Bureau of Statistics, 1964).

 

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Ghana Demographic and Health Survey-2014

This report presents findings from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), a nationally representative survey of 9,396 women age 15-49 and 4,388 men age 15-59 from 11,835interviewed households. The primary purpose of the GDHS was to generate recent and reliable information on fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, andnutrition. In addition, the survey collected information on malaria treatment, prevention, and prevalence among children age 6-59 months; blood pressure among adults; anaemia among women and children; and HIV prevalence among adults. This information is essential for making informed policy decisions and forplanning, monitoring, and evaluating programmes related to health in general, and reproductive health in particular, at both the national and regional levels.

 

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Ghana Population Stabilization Report

Ghana is situated on the West Coast of Africa, off the Gulf of Guinea. It occupies a land area of 238,589 square kilometres and is bordered on the west by Cote d’Ivoire, east by Togo and the north by Burkina Faso. The country consists of ten administrative regions, subdivided into 170 districts to ensure efficient and effective administration at the local levels. Ghana’s economy is mainly agricultural with crops produced for both local consumption and exports. Minerals and timber also contribute to the country’s earnings. In 2009, Ghana attained lower middle-income status and in 2010, became an oil producing country. Currently, the country is said to have one of the fastest growing economies in the world, however, the continuous rapid population growth is threatening the economic progress achieved and has implications for the development of the country.

 

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RAPID -GHANA

Development is complex, multidimensional, and intricately linked with population dynamics. In recognition of these factors, the 1995 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action (POA) recommended integrating population factors into development planning.

The population of a country has an impact on its socioeconomic development indicators as it forms the human resource base for national growth and development and is as well  the  direct  benefciary of  development.    In Ghana,  the effects of population growth have not occurred uniformly
nationwide, just as population dynamics are not homogenous across the country.

Ghana has over the years adopted several measures such the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategies I & II (GPRS I & II) and the Ghana Shared Growth Development Agenda (GSGDA, 2010 – 2013) to achieve macroeconomic stability with  varying  degrees  of  success.    In  recent  times,  infation declined steadily, reaching single-digit levels before rising again in 2013. Substantial economic growth and increases in per capita income over time have accompanied these declines in infation rates. Real GDP increased an average of 4.3 percent from 1998 to 2002 and surpassed 8 percent in 2008 falling slightly to 7.6 percent by 2013…

 

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National Condom and Lubricant Strategy (NCLS) 2016-2020

The availability and use of condoms and lubricant is essential for preventing the spread of Sexually Transmitted   Infections   (HIV   and   STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. In recent times, expects have sought   to   draw   the   attention   of   policy and decision-makers to the strong linkage between family planning (including condom use) and development.

In Ghana, this recognition has led to the development of several national policies, plans and strategies.

 

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Increasing Investments in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellbeing of Adolescents and Young People In Ghana

Young people in every society constitute both the current and potential human capital of a nation’s development. In order to ensure that young people have a fulflling sexual and reproductive life, appropriate investments must be made in their health and socio-economic well-being.

Demographic Profile of Young People in Ghana
In the fifty-year period between 1960 and 2010, the population of young people (10–24 years) increased more than fourfold, from 2,461,856 (28.7%) in
1960 to 7,849,520 (32.0%) in 2010. This number is expected to further increase to 8,955,000 over the next two decades resulting in the largest-ever cohort of young people in the history of the country