I write from the heart, not only as an expert, but as a Ugandan, a parent, sibling, a neighbor, and someone deeply concerned about Uganda’s future.
Uganda is a young nation, with nearly 70% of its a population under 30 years old. To harness this demographic dividend, we must empower our youth, reduce dependency, and enable them to become productive contributors to national development. But to do so, we must urgently confront the teenage pregnancy crisis.

I recently engaged with cultural, political, and religious leaders in Ntoroko , Bundibugyo districts, and the Lake Victoria Islands and landing sites, where teenage pregnancy rates soar as high as 70% in some sub-counties.

This means seven out of every ten teenage girls are pregnant, girls facing life-threatening risks such as obstructed labor, obstetric fistula, and even death. These heartbreaking realities demand change.

The root causes are complex but clear: cultural norms that encourage early marriage, and pervasive poverty. In places like Lira, parents have reportedly taken girls, some still in school, to markets such as Aswa and Wanglobo to be exchanged for cows or goats as a bride price. It is shocking, but it is also preventable.