The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has expressed disappointment in the lack of representation of persons with disabilities in the ministerial nominations made by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
In the organisation’s view, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is not ensuring an all-inclusive government as promised since no person with disability has been nominated for any ministerial role so far.
Speaking to Citi News, the Communications and Media Relations Officer of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, Adams Abdul Wahab charged the NPP government to fulfill its manifesto promises to building a more inclusive society.
“Our appeal to the President is to include persons with disability in his administration; persons with disabilities with key appointments so that they can also contribute to the development of the nation. So we are also trying to tell the President to try to implement some of the promises that are made in the manifesto to affect persons with disability.”
The NPP manifesto on disability
The NPP its 2016 manifesto promised to amend the Disability Act to bring it into line with the UN Convention on Disability and pass appropriate Legislative Instruments for the implementation the Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).
It also promised to implement equal employment opportunity policies for appointment into public offices for persons living with disability.
Among other things, the party also pledged to:
Staff and properly resource the National Council on Persons with Disability in partnership with civil society organisations
Implement inclusive education for persons with disability
Ensure the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD) is decentralized to the regional level in order to coordinate the activities of the various federations
Enforce section 18 of the Disability Act that provides for free education for persons with disability
implement the 3% increase in Common Fund disbursements to persons with disability, announced in 2012, but which remains unimplemented
Ensure that the portion of DACF meant for persons with disability are disbursed through the decentralized district and regional offices of the NCPD
Modernise, improve and resource special training school for persons with disability, to train them on technical and skill training programmes, and
Encourage private institutions to reserve a quota of jobs that can be filled by persons with disability.
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