Over 30% of maternal deaths in Africa occur among adolescents – UNFPA West, Central Africa Director

The Regional Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for West and Central Africa, Dr Sennen Hounton, has raised alarm over the high number of maternal deaths among adolescent girls in Africa, urging governments, families and communities to invest in girls' education, end child marriage and expand access to sexual and reproductive health services.

He attributed the high maternal mortality among teenagers to child marriage, early pregnancies and limited access to reproductive health information and services, particularly in rural communities.

He called on African governments and development partners to increase investment in programmes that protect adolescent girls, expand access to reproductive healthcare and eliminate child marriage, saying such interventions are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ending preventable maternal deaths by 2030.