Okonofua Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health in Africa African Journal of Reproductive Health June 2012 (Special Edition); 16(2): 9 EDITORIAL Promoting Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health in Africa: The Need for a Paradigm Shift

Over the past two decades, a large body of literature has emerged suggesting a distinct pattern of sexual behavior among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, and its contribution to the rapid population growth, high birth rates and the intractable rates of maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS in the region. Although there is growing willingness and commitment by national and international actors to address the problem, and despite the existence of several international agreements that affirm the rights of adolescents to access sexual and reproductive health information, several gaps and difficulties exist in the implementation of policies and programs that address adolescent sexual and reproductive healt