Government Launches 2026 World Population Day Activities, Calls for Greater Investment in Ghana’s Youth
The National Population Council (NPC), in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has launched Ghana’s activities for the 2026 World Population Day celebration, calling for stronger investment in young people through quality education, healthcare, skills development and employment opportunities.
Speaking at a media briefing in Accra on Thursday, Acting Executive Director of the National Population Council, Madam Angelina Osei Kodua-Nyanor, said Ghana’s youthful population presents a major opportunity for national development if the right investments are made.
She noted that, with the 2021 Population and Housing Census, about 12 million Ghanaians, representing 38.2 per cent of the population, are between the ages of 15 and 35.
She said the country’s demographic profile offers the potential to accelerate economic growth and sustainable development, but many young people continue to face unemployment, limited access to quality education, healthcare, and inadequate sexual and reproductive health services.
“Ghana’s youth remain the country’s greatest asset. Investing in their health, education, skills and meaningful participation is the surest path to building a prosperous and resilient nation,” she noted.
She explained that this year’s World Population Day celebration seeks to encourage greater investment in young people while promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and their active participation in national development.
According to the Acting Executive Director, the commemoration would feature a nationwide awareness float on Monday, July 27, beginning from the Madina Police Station. The event will include health screening, free counselling, reproductive health education and other public engagement activities.
The national celebration will take place on Tuesday, July 28, at the Mensvic Hotel in Accra and is expected to bring together representatives from the Office of the President, Parliament, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and young people to discuss policies to improve youth development.
Madam Kodua-Nyanor appealed to the media to support the campaign by giving greater attention to issues affecting young people and promoting conversations that inspire action.
The UNFPA Ghana Country Representative, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, affirmed UNFPA’s commitment to supporting Ghana in promoting reproductive health and rights, strengthening population data systems and developing policies that enable women and young people to contribute fully to national development.
“As the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA works to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled,” he said.
The event, organised by the National Population Council (NPC) in partnership with UNFPA, was held under the national theme, “Investing in Ghana’s Future through Healthy, Skilled and Empowered Young People,” in line with the global theme, “Realising the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People: Today and for the Future.”
Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran, ISD
