The items were selected to meet the specific needs of the beneficiaries
The Ada West District Assembly in the Greater Accra Region has disbursed items and funds to 63 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the district.
The support, drawn from the three per cent allocation of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund earmarked for persons with disabilities, included tools and equipment for small-scale businesses, 19 deep freezers, educational assistance, health support, assistive devices, and seed capital for entrepreneurial ventures.
The items were selected to meet the specific needs of the beneficiaries’ following consultations, vetting, and needs assessments conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development in collaboration with the District Disability Fund Management Committee.
John Jerry Foreigner Mills Nkrumah Modjifa Tanihu, the District Chief Executive, said the assembly believed that empowering persons with disabilities was not an act of charity but a recognition of their rights and an investment in the district’s future.
Tanihu explained that the intervention sought to enhance the economic independence and social inclusion of PWDs in the district, and he encouraged the beneficiaries to make effective use of the various support provided
He said the district had supported beneficiaries across various categories, including economic and business support for 27 persons, equipment support for 22 persons, educational support for nine persons, and health and assistive device support for five persons.
Philip Dotse, the District Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, urged beneficiaries to be transparent and cooperative during monitoring exercises to ensure accountability and sustainability of the programme.
He noted that in some instances, beneficiaries had denied receiving support during post-disbursement monitoring; a situation he said undermined the efforts of the assembly and the government.
Dotse therefore encouraged applicants and beneficiaries to engage their assembly members and the Social Welfare Department whenever challenges arose to ensure effective communication and support.
Joshua Addy, Acting National Coordinator of the National Council for Persons with Disability (NCPD), cautioned beneficiaries against the misuse of the funds and items, noting that such actions could deprive other deserving persons of future support.
“Do not use these funds for things that will not bring long-term benefits,” he stressed.
Some beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the assembly and the government for continuous support aimed at improving their livelihoods.
