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The Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) on Friday called on President John Dramani Mahama to investigate the release and disbursement of the Disability Fund by the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The society expressed worry about utilization of the funds for other purposes, instead of benefiting the society, alleging that some Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Assemblies divert the funds to benefit non-members of the society.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani on their expectation from President Mahama, Mr. Joshua Asiedu, the Financial Secretary of the Sunyani Municipal branch of the GSPD, said, “Our major concern now is for the President to ensure that the PwDs in the country rightly benefit from the disability fund.” He urged President Mahama to also facilitate prompt and regular release of the disability fund for the onward disbursement to the deserving PwDs in the country.
Mr. Asiedu, a tailor, said it was sad and unfortunate that some of the MMDAs did not even release it to the PwDs, though the disability fund was set up to benefit them. “Sometimes it takes about two years before the fund will be released and sometimes it takes more than four months before disbursement is made”, he alleged.
Mr. Asiedu said he was married with three children and had been in the sewing business since 1989, saying with some financial assistance, he could expand his business and engage more youth into the tailoring business. “In somewhere December 2020, I requested an amount of GHC4,000 to procure working tools and other materials, but it is unfortunate that I only received GHC1,000”, he said and appealed for industrial machines.
Madam Sirina Mahamadu, the National Vice President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organization, cautioned beneficiaries of the disability fund to use the money judiciously to expand or engage in viable businesses.
She said disbursement and utilization of the fund had a guideline and asked the beneficiaries to adhere to the guidelines for their own good. Mad Mahamadu said it was unfortunate that some of the PwDs accessed and misused the funds and later go back to the street for alms. She congratulated Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang for her election as the first female Vice President of the country and expressed optimism the vice president would excel in her new leadership position.
Source: GNA
