It’s ‘regrettable’ no person with disability was named as deputy minister – Group

The Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) has expressed disappointment in the list of persons appointed as deputy ministers in President Akufo-Addo's second term in office.

A few months ago, the Federation petitioned the President to at least consider the appointment of a person with a disability as the Deputy Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection but their plea was not granted.

This, the Federation says, is an action that hinders their advocacy for an all-inclusive government.

The Chairman of the Advocacy Committee of GFD, Mr. Alexander Williams Bankole, in a Citi News interview, said the action of the president means he does not yet ” appreciate the issues” of persons with disabilities.

He thus described the decision as “unfortunate and regretable”

“We have always advocated the need for an all-inclusive government that reflects the demography of the country as well as the diversity of the country. There is the need for a person with a disability to be in the central government. The Federation actually wrote formally to the president, so that he considers appointing a person with a disability as a deputy minister because [the Gender, Children, and Social Protection Ministry] focuses on the issues of women, children, and vulnerable groups.”

“Unfortunately, we regret to say that the presidency wrote back to us indicating that having appointed a person with a disability who is a member of the Federation as the Oti Regional Minister, he thought that was good enough. This is regrettable because it clearly indicates that the president has not yet come to appreciate where issues of disabilities are in the country. We are not happy that we do not have a person with a disability actually in the central government.”

—citinewsroom