ZAMBIA is facing a staggering epidemic of teenage pregnancy with 29 percent of young women between the ages of 15 and 19 having already given birth, as revealed by the recent Zambia National Demographic and Health Survey.
Teenage pregnancy rates are alarmingly high with young women in rural areas more likely to become pregnant than those in urban areas.
This trend has a strong correlation with educational attainment and wealth, with 53% of uneducated teenagers having already given birth, compared to only 23% of those with secondary education.
Speaking when he officially launched the “Empowered Communities for Sustainable Reproductive Health Rights Project in Lusaka yesterday, acting Health Minister Douglas Syakalima expressed concern over the alarming rates of teenage pregnancy in the country, urging greater efforts to address the root causes of this trend.
Syakalima stated that beyond the increased risk of mortality, teenage pregnancy has posed serious threats to the health and wellbeing of these young mothers and their children, potentially leading to illness, disability, complications from unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV.
He recognised that economic challenges, cultural and religious practices, as well as limited access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and services create significant impediments to addressing teenage pregnancy in Zambia.
Syakalima who is the Minister of Education acknowledged that these factors when combined, form a complex web of issues that must be navigated in order to effectively reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in the country.
The minister further urged leaders from various sectors of society to emulate the initiative being launched and actively support efforts to create a conducive legal and socio-economic environment that can effectively address the issues of child marriages, early and unintended pregnancies, child abuse, and gender-based violence in Zambia.
And in a speech read by Ministry of Health Director Public Health Kakungu Simpungwe, Ministry Permanent Secretary, Kennedy Lishimpi highlighted government’s ongoing effort in addressing child marriage and adolescent reproductive health.
Meanwhile, Family Development Initiatives (FDI)Team Leader, Yusuf Aayoni added that the project will empower communities and families to live dignified and prosperous lives.
He asserted that through targeted interventions and education programmes, the project aims to equip families with the skills and knowledge they need in order to make informed decisions and create lasting, positive changes.
“Our hope is that this project will serve as a catalyst for greater social and economic progress throughout the country,” he added.
The three year project has been implemented in all ten provinces.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba May 3, 2025
