Sagnarigu MCE outlines new disbursement modalities of PWDS share of DACF

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Sagnarigu Iddrisu Marriam has schooled some members of the Ghana Blind Union on the new modalities governing the disbursement of the 3% share of the Assembly’s Common Fund for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The Government increased the PWDs share of the District Assemblies Common Fund from a previous 2% to 3% in line with the NPP government political manifesto in 2016. In January 2018, the District Assemblies Common Fund released about GHC29m (28,831,542.34) representing four quarters starting the 2016 last quarter.

Many Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana have already disbursed the fund for the last two quarters to members in their various Assemblies except the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly.

The delay has raised great suspicions among the PWDs in the Sagnarigu Municipality who think there is a fishy deal by the Assembly.

However, the MCE on Saturday June 2, 2018 met with some members of the Ghana Blind Union (GBU) at the Northern Region Resource Center for PWDs to provide reasons for the delay and as well, educated them on the new modalities for the disbursement.

Ghana’s new modalities as applied in the disbursement processes allows 10 percent of theFund to be used in taking care of the health of members of PWDs. Another 10 percent should be allocated for education and the remaining 80 percent to be used on creating businesses for the members.

The new modalities as issued in a press statement by the Administrator of the District Common Fund, Irene Naa Torshie Addo also directed that 10 percent out of the 80 percent should be used for capacity building and leadership training for members.

For this reason, the Social Protection Department of the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly has been instructed to as a matter of urgency get all beneficiaries registered for disbursement to start in line with the new procedures.

“Unlike previous modalities where members were given physical cash, the new criteria calls that, members should choose business ventures they want to operate so that, the assembly will use the fund to procure that,” the MCE told members.

The payment of the two percent (2%) delayed in the Sagnarigu Assembly because “the money was paid back into government chest” according to Mariam Iddrisu. This is because the account of the PWDs in the district is still with the Bank of Ghana and by a governmental clause the money could be paid back to government chest if unused by the end of the year.

The members of the Ghana Blind Union were excited at the end. “The new modalities if effectively implemented should be far better than the old system,” a GBU member opined at the meeting.

They want the Sagnarigu Assembly to learn from the mistakes of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) which bought goats for its PWDs as a livelihood support measure.“They bought us emaciated goats. And now go and see, many of the goats have died,” another visually impaired told drumbeatsgh.com.

Earlier on Thursday May 31, the MCE held a similar meeting with the PWDs in the Sagnarigu Municipality to deliberate over the delays on the disbursement.