Adolescents at a crossroads in health rights in Africa

As the fastest-growing demographic, with 11.6 million adolescents in Kenya alone, these young girls represent a massive opportunity.

Yet restrictive policies and systemic inequalities continue to stifle their progress.

Africa’s policies and politics often paint a grim picture for adolescents, particularly girls.

In Kenya, the National Reproductive Health Policy (2020/2030) insists that anyone under 18 must have parental consent to access contraceptives. On paper, this policy seems protective, but in practice, it denies adolescents their constitutional right to healthcare.

This isn’t just about paperwork; it’s about life and death. Lack of access to contraception fuels early pregnancies, which account for one in five births in Sub-Saharan Africa.

These young mothers face stigma, drop out of school, and often spiral into poverty.

Worse still, two-thirds of adolescents living with HIV globally are in Eastern and Southern Africa, and girls are six times more likely to contract the virus than boys.

Restrictive laws like Kenya’s,Uganda’s etc coupled with patriarchal norms, exacerbate these problems. Instead of empowering adolescents with the tools to make informed decisions, they push them further into vulnerability.

Despite the challenges, the solution is clear: investing in adolescent girls isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do.

Studies show that when girls are educated, healthy, and economically empowered, entire communities thrive. The returns are undeniable.

Every dollar spent on adolescent health and education, generates exponential benefits for families, communities and countries.

While global commitments like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) champion gender equality and universal healthcare, the reality on the ground tells a different story.

National policies often lag behind, weighed down by anti justice movements, political resistance, religious and socio-cultural norms, and limited of funding.

The gap between global rhetoric and local action is glaring. Adolescents don’t need speeches—they need access to comprehensive healthcare including Reproductive Health information, and safety.

Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary and other leaders across Africa, have an opportunity to change this narrative by aligning their policies with the urgent needs of the continent’s youth.

The upcoming 8th Pan-African Conference on Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, to be hosted in Mombasa, from June 24 to 27, 2025, provides a critical platform to address these issues.

By sidelining adolescent girls and young women, we are not just compromising their futures but also undermining the continent’s economic and social stability.

The cost of inaction is staggering, but the rewards of progress are even greater.

Every girl who completes her education, delays pregnancy, and gains access to healthcare contributes to a healthier, wealthier, and more resilient Africa.

Adolescent girls are not just beneficiaries of change; they are the architects of a brighter future. It’s time for Africa’s leaders to stop asking whether they can afford to invest in these young women and start realizing they can’t afford not to.

The clock is ticking, and the world is watching. The question is: will Africa rise to the challenge?

Ms Maina is a PR and digital strategist at Crestwood Marketing and Communications Ltd