Funds meant to alleviate poverty among persons with disability (PWDs) appear to be fodder for business for some able-bodied persons, TV3 has gathered.
Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are also said to be borrowing from these funds though they are enjoined by law to commit 2 per cent of their respective common funds to aid the cause of the disabled, particularly those not in the formal sector.
The "illegal" action was first brought to the attention of TV3 by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SEND Ghana, Siapha Kamara.
“In some districts, there are persons who are not disabled but are given funds that are meant for the disabled,” he confided in our correspondent.
This was later confirmed by an Advocacy Officer at the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD), Isaac Tuggu, who blamed the situation on the “mischievous” attitude of some Ghanaians.
“We are aware,” Mr Tuggu told TV3’s Sandra Esinam Afenu.
“We have received reports. You know sometimes [with] human behavior every system would want to be abused. I think it is because of this attitude that is why some people are being mischievous and trying to bring in people who are not PWDs but actually benefitting.”
An officer at the Accra Rehabilitation Center was, however, worried the situation persists because persons with disabilities have not been made signatories to the funds.
“The major problem is that the account is not made available to the Fund Management Committee.”
Disability Council's challenges
TV3 gathers that for the past year though the MMDAs have received their common funds, the 2 per cent meant for the PWDs have not been made available.
The Disability Council, which is mandated to oversee the welfare of PWDs, our correspondent observes, has its own challenges to grapple with.
“We have problem with staffing,” Mr Tuggu, who also works for the Council, said. “There are so many areas that we are unable to cover because we don’t have the personnel.”
He noted that apart from the Executive Secretary of the Council, there are only two permanent staff.
One is in charge of sports and the other in charge of programmes, he said.
“We don’t have officers in both the regions and the districts and it is actually affecting monitoring.”
