UNFPA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr Sennen Hounton, has warned that Ghana’s rate of decline in maternal mortality remains dangerously slow, calling for urgent, coordinated action as the country prepares to launch a presidential initiative aimed at addressing the crisis.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Dr Hounton noted that Sub-Saharan Africa hosts 70 percent of the global burden of maternal mortality, with West and Central Africa alone accounting for 44 percent.
He said the region loses a mother to maternal death every four minutes, and a newborn every 17 seconds, describing these figures as tragedies that ripple far beyond the individual family affected.
Addressing Ghana’s specific progress, Dr Hounton acknowledged that the country has recorded improvement, with maternal deaths currently standing at around 300 per 100,000 live births.
However, he cautioned that this figure represented only a marginal shift from roughly 320 deaths a decade earlier, describing the pace of decline as far too slow.
According to Dr Hounton, most maternal deaths are now occurring within health facilities themselves, raising urgent questions about whether doctors are available to perform emergency Caesarean sections, whether emergency drugs are stocked, and whether systems exist to transport women rapidly to appropriate care when complications arise.
He stressed that this challenge extends beyond the health sector alone, describing it as a fundamentally societal issue tied to broader infrastructure gaps, including electricity to power operating theatres, road networks to enable rapid transport to hospitals, and financial resources to help women cope with the cost of emergency care.
Presidential Oversight Expected to Shift Accountability
Dr Hounton explained that placing the maternal mortality issue directly under the Presidency, rather than treating it purely as a health sector matter, fundamentally changes the accountability structure surrounding the crisis.
He noted that under a health-only framework, accountability would typically stop at district or regional hospitals, or the Minister of Health, whereas presidential oversight draws in multiple line ministries and regional leadership structures.
“We have made progress, but the pace is dangerously slow. With maternal mortality still at around 300 deaths per 100,000 live births, Ghana cannot afford to wait. We must come together, strengthen accountability and act quickly to ensure that no woman dies while giving life.”
Dr. Hounton
He cited an example from the Ashanti Region, where the King had begun requesting quarterly reports on the wellbeing of women within his jurisdiction, describing this as a powerful demonstration of how traditional and political accountability structures could reinforce national efforts to prevent maternal deaths.
Adolescent Pregnancy and Education Identified as Key Drivers
Dr Hounton identified adolescent pregnancy as a major contributing factor to maternal deaths across the region, noting that West and Central Africa records some of the highest rates of child marriage globally.
He explained that girls whose bodies are not yet ready for childbirth face significantly elevated risks when married off and become pregnant at a young age.
He linked this directly to girls’ education, explaining that educated women are better equipped to exercise bodily autonomy and space their pregnancies safely.
While commending Ghana for strong secondary school completion rates among girls who do enrol, he cautioned that girls who never enter the school system in the first place remain at significantly higher risk of teenage pregnancy and associated maternal health complications.
Workforce Shortages And Equipment Gaps
Dr Hounton further pointed to a severe shortage of midwives and doctors across the region, compounded by ongoing workforce migration, with trained midwives frequently leaving for opportunities elsewhere. He stressed that retaining this critical health workforce requires sustained investment and financing, rather than training efforts alone.
He also highlighted significant equipment gaps at the facility level, noting that fewer than 10 percent of facilities in the region have all the equipment required for a normal delivery, including basics such as gloves and functioning emergency medication supplies.
Reflecting on the broader global context, Dr Hounton described the persistence of high maternal mortality in Africa despite major advances in medical technology as one of the defining paradoxes of the century.
He noted that while global maternal mortality has declined by 40 percent, Sub-Saharan Africa has managed only a 34 percent reduction, attributing this gap to insufficient health financing, harmful cultural practices such as early marriage, and persistent quality gaps within health facilities.
Time Running Out On SDG Target
Dr Hounton warned that with the Sustainable Development Goal target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births set for 2030, Ghana’s current rate of 300 leaves the country with substantial ground to cover and only five years remaining.
“This is a moment where we need to worry, we need to come together to worry and we need to act quickly,”
Dr. Hounton
Dr Hounton also addressed persistent regional disparities within Ghana, noting that maternal health outcomes remain markedly more precarious in the northern parts of the country compared to the south.
He called for deliberate, differentiated policy measures, including incentive packages to encourage health workers to accept postings in underserved northern communities, alongside continued investment in road infrastructure and electricity access, describing the effort to close this gap as ultimately a matter of justice and human rights for every Ghanaian citizen, regardless of geography.
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