Hearing impaired in Koforidua call on policymakers to address high unemployment gap

The hearing impaired in Koforidua are urging policymakers to address the high unemployment rate among persons living with disabilities (PWDs).

Unemployment rates among PWDs are significantly high, with women facing greater risks due to the intersection of gender and disability. This exacerbates their plight, leaving them dependent on other members of society and unable to take control of their lives.

The United Nations estimates that about 80-90 percent of working-age PWDs in developing countries are unemployed. In Ghana, PWDs constitute eight percent of the population, translating to 2,098,138 individuals according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, but the majority are without jobs.

Ghana, a party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, has also enacted the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).

The Convention prohibits all forms of employment discrimination, calls for more accommodating work environments, and mandates state parties to promote access to vocational training and self-employment opportunities for PWDs.

At a stakeholder engagement with the Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, facilitated by AFES Ghana in collaboration with Kofkro Project partners, hearing impaired individuals, mostly former and current students of Koforidua School for the Deaf, made an urgent plea to decision-makers to focus on inclusive policy interventions to address unemployment among PWDs.

“I applied for a job some time ago and I was asked to go and come back again, but later I was denied. So my problem is that only hearing people have been given the opportunity compared to deaf people. MPs, the Ministers, and the government as a whole must help us get a job to do,” lamented Mrs. Comfort Adu Ama, who is hearing impaired.

Frimpong Adu Benoni also expressed his frustration: “Whenever we apply for a job or something because of the disability challenge that we have, we are always denied. When we wrote the application, they told us next week we would hear from them, but upon following up, they told us because of the language barrier. We are seeking help from the government to help us get a job.”

Others are also denied access to financial assistance to invest in their businesses. “I am worried about a lot of issues about us, the disability people. Whenever we apply for a job or apply for funds to back our business, they don’t give us,” one individual shared.

Muta-Wakilu Mahama, Team Leader of AFES Ghana, said the forum allows the youth and vulnerable groups to interface with policymakers to table their challenges, including unemployment, inadequate social amenities, higher education and skill training opportunities, and security concerns.

Programs Manager at Star Ghana, Ernestina Tetteh, emphasized that policymakers should take a cue from the youth protest in Kenya by frequently engaging the youth on policy interventions that address their present and future needs for inclusive development.

Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Michael Okyere Baafi, assured participants that he would intensify engagement with the youth to address their concerns, building on ongoing efforts in education, employment, and security.

“The interaction has been very fruitful. I think I have to organize more by myself to interact with them to know their problems. I realized that we need to meet them (youth) often because they have issues. This meeting has given me clear direction on what the youth need. So I am going to work on it and give them feedback,” Hon. Okyere Baafi said.