Accra: Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the Ga East Municipality have received financial and material support under the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) allocation. At a ceremony in Accra, eight beneficiaries received deep freezers, one was presented with an industrial knitting machine, and GHC52,785.00 was disbursed to 20 others to support income-generating activities, education, and healthcare. Each of the nine persons who received equipment was also given GHC400.00 as start-up capital.
According to Ghana News Agency, the intervention aligns with the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), which seeks to safeguard the rights of PWDs and ensure their full integration into national development. Mr. Edmund Agboh, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), urged recipients to use the items productively. 'This is not the time to play around but a time to focus on yourselves and work with the items and money given you in order to improve upon your lives,' he said. He also cautioned against the resale of items, stating that the Assembly would conduct inspections after 90 days to verify proper usage.
Mr. Agboh added that the initiative formed part of former President John Dramani Mahama's broader policy agenda for PWDs, including the implementation of free tertiary education for persons with disabilities. Madam Faustina Elikplim Akurugu, Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, underscored the importance of accountability, indicating that all items had been embossed to prevent resale. 'My advice to you today is that you use the items being given you for its intended purpose and make a living out of it,' she stated.
Mr. Joshua Addy, Chairman of the Disability Fund Disbursement Committee and representative of the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD), praised the Assembly's efforts and advised beneficiaries to avoid deviant behaviour and remain focused. Ms. Christine Osei-Bonsu, Head of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, pledged that her department would continue to monitor the beneficiaries to ensure compliance and sustainability.
Mr. Moses Fokuo, representing the Ga East Federation of PWDs, expressed gratitude to the President, the MCE, and the MP, particularly for the free tertiary education policy, which he said was significantly transforming lives.
