Hon Ralph Poku-Adusei
Bekwai

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement on the commemoration of World Population Day.

Mr Speaker, today, 11th July, 2025, the global community observes World Population Day, a pivotal moment established by the United Nations to spotlight demographic challenges and advance solutions for a sustainable future. The theme for this year, “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world”, resonates deeply with the challenges and opportunities facing the youth today.

Mr Speaker, World Population Day traces its roots to 11th July, 1987, when the global population reached 5 billion. In 1989, the United Nations designed this date as an annual call to action, highlighting the interplay between population dynamics, development and human rights. This theme for this year, “Empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world”, reaffirms the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development that every person has the right to make informed choices about their lives and futures. It also calls for ensuring that young people all over the world have rights, tools and opportunities to shape their futures.

Today, the world counts 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 to 24, the largest generation in history. The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres emphasised that, “they (young people) are not only shaping our future; they are demanding one that is just, inclusive and sustainable”.

Mr Speaker, as at 2025, the population of Ghana stands at approximately 35.1 million, with a growth rate of approximately 1.85 per cent. Globally, the population has grown significantly since 1987, reaching around 8 billion people. In Ghana, the population has increased from 16 million in 1987 to over 35 million today, with a youthful demographic, where 37.4 per cent of the population is between 0 to 14 and 88.2 per cent aged between 15 to 64 years.

Mr Speaker, the youth population of Ghana, like many countries worldwide, face challenges that impact their ability to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world. These challenges include economic insecurity, gender inequality, limited healthcare and education, climate disruption and conflict, which can hinder their potential and aspirations. It is important that we use this day to raise awareness about population issues, promote policies that ensure a sustainable and equitable future and advocate for reproductive health, family planning and gender equality.

Mr Speaker, Ghanaian governments, over the years, in an effort to empower young people and create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world, have demonstrated a commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through various initiatives. Some notable interventions include:
i. Free Senior High School (SHS) Education Policy: Introduced in 2017 to enhance access to education, maximise literacy levels, and promote economic and social development.
ii. Global School Feeding Programme (GSFP): Aims to enhance food security, reduce hunger and increase school enrolment, attendance and retention.
iii. Adolescent Reproductive Health Policy (ARHP): Launched in 2016 to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, increase access to family planning services and reduce teenage pregnancies. iv. Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Program: Provides cash transfer to poor households to reduce poverty and inequality.
v. National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS): Offers health insurance to Ghanaians, promoting access to healthcare services.
vi. Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprises Support (Ghana CARES) Programme: Collaborates with development partners to invigorate the economy’s productive sectors while safeguarding the vulnerable through multi-year flagship interventions.

Mr Speaker, empowering the young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world requires a multifaceted approach, including education, health care, economic opportunities, no poverty and hunger, and recognising and protecting their rights and autonomy to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs).

The Constitution of Ghana also provides a framework for promoting the wellbeing and development of young people. Key provisions include, Article 25; the right to education, which is essential for empowering young people, and Article 34; the directive principle of state policy, which emphasises the importance of promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Mr Speaker, to empower young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world, I also recommend that the government must continue to;
• Invest in Education and Healthcare: Ensure access to quality education and healthcare; particularly, productive health services.
• Provide Economic opportunities by supporting entrepreneurship, build stable and secure future for young people.
• Recognise and protect rights to ensure laws and policies to promote and protect the rights and autonomy of young people, particularly, women and girls.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world is crucial for building a sustainable and equitable future. By investing in education, healthcare, economic opportunities, and rights, we can unlock the potentials of our youth and create a better world for all.

As we commemorate World Population Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to supporting and empowering young people, ensuring they have the opportunities and resources needed to thrive. Let us strive to create a world where every person has access to the resources, education, and healthcare they need to shape their lives with dignity and hope. As the UN Secretary General, Mr Antonio Guterres puts it “Let us stand with young people and build a future where every person can shape their destiny in a world that is fair, peaceful, and full of hope”.

Mr Speaker, thank you for this opportunity.

Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh
Nsawam/Adoagyiri

Mr Speaker, I will speak. I commend you, Mr Speaker, for your indulgence and for the masterpiece for ensuring that all three Statements are delivered at the same time.

And then the decision to ensure that we could speak on these Statements as a whole. I think fundamental concerns have been raised, and not to repeat the issues that Colleagues have spoken about. I tend to share in the many things that Colleagues have spoken about; the positive and the negative derivatives of population dynamics, and what have you.

Mr Speaker, it is said that Africa has the youngest population. No doubt about it, but clearly, we are sleeping on that huge potential. We are not taking advantage of it. So, there is a call that we should be able to take advantage of our young population. That itself is a resource; a resource in its dormant state that must be enhanced and used to its fullest potential. That for me is a matter we cannot toil with.

Mr Speaker, we are also having the drifting of population from our countryside to the urban centres. So, our cities are becoming overpopulated and the attendant effect on infrastructure and facilities in our cities. This comes in the wake and a call on duty bearers—And the cross-cutting issues that the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and other duty bearers should bring their minds to. The Hon Member, one of the Colleagues who presented a Statement, made a passing reference to the Brundtland Commission. Brundtland, who is a Dutch expert, who had—Yes, I see my good Friend, the Majority Chief Whip, referencing the year. Brundtland is a Dutch authority on the sustainable usage of resources for today and the future. That has been made. The United Nations (UN) has taken some resolutions on these matters. So, we do not need to rehash.

However, Mr Speaker, and I know we are constrained by time. The imperative of the Directive Principles of State Policy, specifically Article 37 of the Constitution, is clear on equitable distribution of resources. One can argue that, well, the Directive Principles of State Policy is not justiciable. But these are very important guides, both to the Executive, the Legislature and other Government officials and we should be adverting our minds to it.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, we have a state institution, the National Population Council (NPC), which bears direct responsibility in such matters. It is regrettable that the National Population Council is, more or less, for want of a better expression, at the beck and call of international donors. Real budgetary provision from the state and Government — and here I am not saying just the NDC Government, but governments that have come and gone — has always scratched the surface of the concerns of the National Population Council, so we are committed to achieving on these key deliverables because of their connectivity, in terms of poverty reduction, food sustainability, and food availability, then we should be paying attention to it. I am happy that the respected Deputy Minority Leader, I see my good Friend and other notable personalities who have taken key interest in population concern. I hope it does not become a nine-day wonder where we put on our branded tshirts and then when we finish, we let the matters rest. So, I pray we can sustain the campaign and then we can all achieve and help in achieving what we are all desirous of achieving.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.