Mzimba has recorded one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Malawi, with four in every 10 girls aged 15 to 19 reportedly falling pregnant.
Figures presented by the Health and Environment Service Committee at a full council meeting of M’mbelwa District Council show that the district’s teenage pregnancy rate stands at 40 percent, eight percentage points above the national average of 32 percent.
Only Chikwawa, at 42 percent, has a higher rate, placing Mzimba second nationally.
The district recorded 6,073 teenage pregnancies in the 2023/2024 financial year. The figure rose to 8,019 in 2024/2025 before dropping slightly to 7,618 in 2025/2026.
Mzimba District Youth Officer Yamikani Nyalungwe has attributed the high figures partly to limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.
Nyalungwe says many young people lack adequate knowledge about pregnancy prevention and proper condom use. She has called for increased reproductive health education and reliable supplies of contraceptives in health facilities.
Mzimba Youth Organisation Executive Director Reverend Moses Nkhana has urged young people to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive health by using condoms and other HIV prevention methods, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
“Young people need to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive health by using condoms and other HIV prevention methods such as PrEP. Parents should also create an open environment where children can freely discuss sexual and reproductive health issues without fear,” said Nkhana.
Meanwhile, Tovwirane Organisation’s Uchembere Wabwino Project District Project Officer, George Chayipa Lungu, says myths and misconceptions about contraceptives are also contributing to teenage pregnancies.
Lungu has called for intensified community awareness campaigns and stronger reproductive health education in schools to help young people make informed decisions.
A young person from Mzimba, Beatrice Ndhlovu, says stigma and discrimination further discourage some adolescents from accessing contraceptives and other reproductive health services.
She has urged health facilities to provide youth-friendly services where adolescents can seek assistance without fear of judgement.
Stakeholders say tackling the problem will require coordinated efforts involving parents, schools, health workers and community organisations to improve access to reproductive health information and services.
