Addressing Adolescent Pregnancy and Child Births through Evidence-Based Adolescent Health Policy-Making in Ghana

This research uses annual time series data of adolescent fertility rate for Ghana from 1960 to 2020 to predict future trends of adolescent fertility rate over the period 2021 to 2030. The study utilizes Holt’s linear exponential smoothing model. The optimal values of smoothing constants α and β are 0.9 and 0.2 respectively based on minimum MSE. The results of the study indicate that annual adolescent fertility rate will continue to decline throughout the out of sample period. Therefore, we encourage authorities in Ghana to channel more resources towards improving access and quality of adolescent health services, empowerment of youths through funding of youth projects that improves their labor participation and ensuring that all youths get basic education that is critical for understanding sexual and reproductive issues.