Plan International Ghana has launched a new project, “Rooting for Change,” to tackle unintended adolescent pregnancies in the Suhum municipality of the Eastern Region.
Funded by Tony’s Chocolonely, one of the Netherlands’ largest cocoa companies, the two-year project targets two cocoa producing communities, “Aponoapono” and “Obretema”, with the potential for future expansion into other nearby cocoa-growing areas.
Despite significant progress made by Tony’s Open Chain to support sustainable livelihoods for cocoa farmers, a statement from Plan International Ghana to the Ghana News Agency, said challenges such as poverty, gender inequalities, and limited access to essential services persisted in cocoa-growing communities.
These issues disproportionately affected the well-being of girls and young women.
The statement noted that unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls had been identified as a major concern, prompting the partnership between Plan International Netherlands, Plan International Ghana and Tony’s Chocolonely to launch the vital initiative.
By September 2026, the project seeks to ensure that at least 800 young people (aged 10–19, with at least 60 per cent females) in Aponoapono and Obretema are empowered to make informed decisions and access sexual and reproductive health services without discrimination, coercion, or violence.
The objectives of the project, it said were to ensure that children, adolescents, and youth developed positive attitudes and self-confidence regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), including awareness of harmful practices and gender-based violence (GBV).
The project aimed to provide young people with access to age appropriate and youth-friendly SRHR services and would also create an enabling environment for young people, particularly girls and young women, allowing them to exercise their SRHR with dignity and autonomy.
The project, according to the statement is supported by strategic partners, including the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, the Department of Social Welfare, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, Suhum Municipal Assembly, National Commission on Civic Education, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and the International Cocoa Initiative Based.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Eric Ayaba, Head of Programmes and Influencing at Plan International Ghana, highlighted the organisation’s unwavering commitment to empowering girls and creating global change.
He said the organisation’s theory of change, emphasizing that vulnerable children, particularly girls, should have the opportunity to ‘Learn’, ‘Lead’, and ‘Decide’ on issues that matter most to them, and grow up free from violence and fear.
Madam Ama Mogyabon, Country Manager for Tony’s Chocolonely, speaking about the company’s dedication to improving the cocoa sector, emphasized the importance of community involvement.
“Change cannot be created without the community and the people at the centre of the issue.
Child protection is one of our top priorities, and we believe in the power of working with these communities as a model to scale the project,” she said.
Mr Zuobog Philip Neri, Policy Officer for Cocoa at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, said: “The future of cocoa is a woman.
Investing in empowering girls is investing in an inclusive future.”
He underscored that a thriving cocoa industry depended on the well-being of cocoa farming families and communities.
In a statement read on his behalf, Mr Isaac Mensah, the Suhum Municipal Health Information officer, expressed concern about the rising rates of adolescent pregnancies in the area.
In 2023, of the 3,358 Antenatal Care registrants, 305 were adolescent pregnancies, with 180 recorded in the first half of 2024.
He said.
“Adolescent pregnancies pose significant health risks, and it is crucial we address this issue head-on,” he said, pledging support for the project.
Madam Patricia Asantewaa Osei, Girls Education Coordinator for the Suhum Municipality emphasized the need for interventions to protect girls and provide them with the opportunities they deserved.
She attributed the increase in adolescent pregnancies to irresponsible parenting, which often forced young girls to seek means of supporting themselves and their families.
Representing the Municipal Chief Executive, Madam Lillian Adjetey Adjei- Rufai, Assistant Director at the Suhum Municipal Assembly, expressed gratitude for the project, recognizing its potential to greatly improve the lives of adolescents in the municipality.
She pledged the Assembly’s full support to ensure the project’s success and its potential scale-up across other vulnerable communities in the region.
With strong backing from local stakeholders and a clear vision for the future, the Rooting for Change project promises to be a transformative force in tackling adolescent pregnancies and empowering the next generation of girls in Ghana’s cocoa-producing regions, the statement said.
