Additional 126 will be engaged later this month.  The move, according to the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta, is in line with an initiative by the government to create employment opportunities for PWDs in ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

Mr. Amoako-Atta made this observation at Pobi Asaawa, near Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, on Tuesday, at the launch of an initiative by the ministry to recruit 200 PWDs as road toll collectors in all 35 booths across the country.

Launch

The launch, which was done in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), brought together government officials, traditional rulers and a section of the public.

Deputy Ministers of Roads and Highways and Information, Messrs Anthony Abayifa Karbo and Perry Okudzeto, were also at the launch.

Directive

The minister said the recruitment of the PWDs was to give real meaning to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s directive to all MDAs to reserve special positions for PWDs.

“The New Patriotic Party (NPP) made a commitment in its 2016 manifesto to empower PWDs by providing them with job opportunities that will make life decent for them.

“When I appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament to be vetted as a minister designate, I personally made the commitment to reserve 50 per cent of employment opportunities at the 35 tollbooths in the country to PWDs. Today’s event is a manifestation of that commitment and the beginning of more initiatives to empower PWDs,” he said.

He observed that the government would come up with more policy initiatives that would address the key challenges physically challenged persons faced and also integrate them into the wider society.

“PWDs should not be seen as an economic burden. Rather, they constitute an untapped population with enormous potential that has to be harnessed to support the national development agenda,” he said.

Mr Amoako-Atta urged other government agencies, as well as the private sector to reserve employment opportunities for PWDs.

Good initiative

The President of Ghana Federation of the Disabled, Mr Yaw Ofori-Debrah, lauded the government for the initiative, describing it as a giant step and an important milestone that would address the challenges of PWDs.

“The launch of this initiative is important because it will improve the economic condition of PWDs and also enhance their social image,” he stated.

Mr Ofori-Debrah said PWDs were satisfied with the level of engagement and involvement of the GFD towards rolling out the initiative and appealed to the government to come up with more of such programmes to support PWDs.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Mr Victor Owusu, gave an assurance that the right mechanisms would be put in place to guarantee the safety of all PWDs in the tollbooths.

He said there would be no discrimination against PWDs at the tollbooths.

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Source: Graphic.com.gh

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She said although legal and policy frameworks played vital roles in ensuring the protection of persons with disability, interactions with the Federation of Disability Organisations had revealed that their members were facing several challenges in these areas.

Speaking at the first National Dialogue with Persons with Disabilities, organised by the Ministry in Accra, Madam Otiko Djaba said the Government would amend the Persons with Disabilities Act (Act 715), to bring it in line with the UN Convention on Disabilities.

Government, she stated, would also ensure the passage of the required Legislative Instrument to Act 715, operationalise it in addition to that of the Mental Health Act, (Act 846), which was passed, in 2012.

Madam Otiko Djaba stressed the importance of investing in the creation of an enabling environment for PwDs to realize their full potentials towards contributing to the development of the nation.

“I believe that every individual deserves a chance to discover his or her potential, to receive the necessary support to develop that potential and ultimately use this potential to support the development of our dear nation, Ghana,” she stated.

Madam Otiko Djaba also said the Government would empower the necessary institutions, including the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD), to ensure the proper enforcement of laws and interventions aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of PwDs.

“The Government will also implement the three per cent increase in the District Assemblies Common Fund allocations to persons with disability, which was announced in 2012, but remained unimplemented,” she assured.

“The amount will be disbursed through decentralized district and regional offices of the NCPD.”

She said Government would also address issues of access to education and employment raised by the leadership of the Federation of Persons with Disabilities.

In line with this, she said, the Ministry would hold a career fair in March to showcase employment and training opportunities for PwDs as well as to solicit support from corporate institutions for them.

“…we will, therefore, work towards the implementation of equal employment opportunities and advocate the appointment of PwDs into public office”.

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Source: GNA

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Among the beneficiaries are visually and hearing impaired individuals, physically challenged, cerebral palsy sufferers, albinos and epilepsy patients.

Nii Adjebu Lamptey, Chairman of the Disability Sub-Committee of the AMA, who made the donation, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the selection was based strictly on the extent of poverty and deprivation facing the applicants.

He said each of the PWD identified in the Metropolis by the Assembly received between GH¢ 1,000 to GH¢ 1,500 to improve their income.

He said the AMA would continue to assist PWDs who have established medium scale enterprises as well as cooperative groups.

Nii Lamptey urged the beneficiaries to use the money to improve their lives.

Mr. Thomas Mustapha Ashong, Presiding Member of the AMA, said the AMA would embark on a monitoring exercise to ensure that the funds are used for their stated purpose, and urged the beneficiaries to invest the seed money given them.

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Source: GNA

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The Municipal Chief Executive, Christina Kobinah, who presented the money, said the government has been consistent with the disbursement of the two percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund set aside to provide educational support for persons with disabilities.

She entreated the beneficiaries to put the money they had received to good use.

The MCE advised Persons with Disability not to allow their predicament to have an effect on them.

Mrs. Kobinah said disability did not symbolize inability so people who were physically challenged should endeavor to live better lives.

She cautioned people to live in peace with their neighbours as the country prepared to go to the polls on December 7.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Emmanuel Yankey, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude to the government and assembly for the continuous assistance.

He encouraged all persons with disability to refrain from begging on the streets and rather register with their associations to enable them to access the fund.

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Source: GNA

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The workshop organized by the EC and sponsored by the European Union (EU) brought together members of the Ghana Federation of the Physically disabled, Ghana Association of the Deaf and the Ghana Blind Association.

They were educated on some highlights of the new Constitutional Instrument (CI94) covering the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The Northern Regional EC Director,  Bruce Ayisi assured the participants that they would be given preferential treatment on the day of the polls.

The participants suggested that the demarcated polling stations should be accessible to all  Persons Living With Disabilities (PWDs).

They also called on that the EC to engage the services of interpreters to coach the PWDs on the elections day.

A Deputy Northern Regional EC Director, Benjamin Banoh-Bio said the EC had already directed all district Directors to relocate poling stations that are inaccessible to the PWDs.

He also encouraged the PWDs to introduce themselves to the polling or presiding officers on the voting day.

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He said the Commission was aware of the challenges faced by people living with disability at polling stations, and it had therefore put measures in place to avoid inconveniences to them.

Mr Nuhu gave the assurance at a Training of Trainers’ workshop on Tactile Ballot by the Ghana Blind Union (GBU) for its members in the Volta Regional capital in Ho.

The workshop was funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiative, and it was aimed at preparing members of the Union for the general election and also to reduce the number of spoiled ballots.

Mr. Nuhu said the tactile ballot since its introduction in 1999, had enabled the visually impaired to vote without assistance and in secrecy.

The Executive Director of the GBU, Dr. Peter Obeng Asamoah, however called for the regular practice by its members to perfect the tactile ballot system ahead of the polls.

The participants were taken through a mock election exercise using the tactile ballot, which comprised of a tactile jacket.

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Source: GNA

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According to them, the EC in previous elections has made voting cumbersome for them which made it difficult for them to cast their votes.

Upper East Regional chairman of the Ghana Federation of Disability Youth, Mr. Mark Akuberi, said this when the  Municipal Assembly disbursed the 3% disability component of the assembly’s common fund to 126 beneficiaries.

He called on the EC to create a conducive environment for persons with disability to cast their votes on December 7.

“The Electoral commission should make the various polling stations accessible to persons with disability especially the visually impaired, hearing impaired and all other physically challenged persons because if the voting centers are inaccessible with open gutters and staircases, it may scare us from going to vote.”

“The visually impaired wants to vote without any assistance from others because they may guide us to vote wrongly for a candidate or against our will. So what we are saying is that, tactile ballot jackets should be issued bad on the number of presidential and parliamentary candidates at all polling stations so that we can vote without any difficulty.  We also want the EC to exempt persons with disability and their relatives that brings them to the voting centers from joining the long queues to vote.”

Mr. Akuberi impressed on political parties to involve persons with disability during their rallies to enable them understand their manifesto in order to make informed choices on the day of election.

“Political parties are organizing rallies and talking to the electorates, they should involve persons with disability. They should get interpreters to help the hearing impaired to understand policies of political parties during rallies so that we can make the right choices on election day.”

Mr. Akuberi appealed to the security agencies to identify persons with disabilities at various polling stations especially in conflict zone areas; and protect them to leave these areas in case of chaos.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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