The government, as part of the Reset Agenda, has allocated 80 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) directly to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to facilitate accelerated development.
The Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, on Thursday said the government remained determined to remove barriers of discrimination with the allocation, a demonstration of its stance to ensure equal opportunities for all.
Mr. Gunu, in a remark at a stakeholder engagement workshop organised by the Women with Disability Development and Advocacy Organisation (WODAO) in Ho, said disability is not inability, and the phenomenon was no respecter of persons.
He said issues affecting persons with disability were critical and ensured that systems were developed to take good care of persons with disability.
The workshop, on the theme, “Fostering Strategic Alliances to Promote the Rights of Women with Disabilities in Development,” was organised in partnership with Sightsavers International, ABAK Foundation and funded by the European Commission.
He said the Assemblies were expected to ensure inclusive development for persons with disabilities to enable them to assume the centre-stage at the local level.
He said President Mahama has declared that first-year students in universities would not pay academic user fees, and persons with disability would go through tertiary education free of charge.
Mr. Gunu said the policy acknowledged the fact that Ghana was made up of persons with disability and by the statistics, they formed about ten per cent of Ghana’s population.
He said issues affecting persons with disability were critical and ensured that systems were developed to take good care of persons with disability.
The Minister commended WODAO for its leadership in promoting the rights and welfare of women with disabilities and pledged government’s full commitment to advancing inclusivity in the region.
Madam Veronica Denyo Kofiedu, Executive Director of WODAO, the organisation was a not-for-profit entity, and it believed that the government’s action of direct payment to the DACF would facilitates the three per cent allocation to persons with disability at the MMDAs.
She said WODAO has been actively strengthening its internal systems, building the leadership capacity of women with disabilities, and expanding advocacy for inclusive policies.
She stressed the need for strengthened collaboration, saying, “Over the past year, we have seen the difference that strategic collaboration can make.
“From enhancing digital accessibility and mainstreaming gender in programming, to engaging in disability-inclusive climate action and strengthening community mobilization, one thing has become clear: we achieve more when we work together.”
“Together, we can create a future where women with disabilities enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities, and full participation in every sphere of life.”
Mr. Augustus Awity, former Regional Chief Director at the VRCC reminded the gathering that voices of Persons with Disability mattered and their stories were worth telling.
He called on society to work together to breakdown that frown on women with disability and ensure equal access to opportunities, resources and decision-making processes.
“We can leverage our collective strengths of key actors to drive meaningful change,” he said.
Mr. David Agyeman, Country Director of Sightsavers, said the international entity organization headquartered in the UK, and operates in over 30 countries with a core mandate to prevent avoidable blindness and promote the rights of persons with disabilities within the health sector.
He said it also focuses on training on the training of doctors and nurses, and ventures into neglected tropical diseases like lymphatic filariasis and river blindness, and played a key role in supporting the Ghanaian government to eliminate trachoma in 2020, and is currently facilitating the distribution of medication to over five million people at risk of endemic diseases.
He said Beyond health, Sightsavers champions social inclusion, advocacy, economic empowerment, political participation for persons with disabilities, and capacity building for relevant organizations.
Sightsavers recognized WODAO as a unique and promising organization of women with disabilities in Ghana, formed to advance the cause of persons with disabilities, would grow to become a national and international brand.
He highlighted that true ‘strength is not found in standing alone, it is found in standing together,’ encouraging all organizations to collaborate to achieve greater visibility, credibility, and impact using advocacy as a trump card.
Mr. George Edem Kofiedu, Project Officer of the WODAO, said mankind could create a society, where women with disabilities would thrive with the Government adopting inclusive budgets, enforce accessibility, Civic Society groups CSOs mainstreaming disability in all programmes.
Also, media partners should amplify the voices of women with disabilities to succeed.
He called on participants to build coalitions that represent diversity, represent unrepresented voices, share evidence of barriers and successes, and avoid isolation.
There were fraternal messages from CSOs including, Ghana Federation of Persons with Disabilities, African Disability Institute, Voice of Women and Children with Disabilities, Social Welfare, among others.
Source: GNA
