2025 International Day of PwDs: Dr Prempeh urges improved support for PwDs

Dr Freda Prempeh

Former legislator Dr Freda Prempeh has urged the nation to take stronger measures to improve the welfare of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), ensuring they live dignified and empowered lives.

As Ghana joins the world to mark the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, Dr Prempeh, a former MP for Tano North in the Ahafo Region, called on the government to fully enforce the provisions of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).

The International Day, established by the United Nations in 1981, aims to raise awareness of disability issues and promote the rights, dignity, and well-being of people with disabilities. This year’s celebration carries the theme: “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.”

Speaking to the media in Duayaw-Nkwanta, Dr Prempeh, also a former Minister of State and founder of the Ultimate Women Foundation (UWF), highlighted that Act 715 affirms the rights of all PwDs. She noted that the UWF works to empower indigenous women and girls, including those with disabilities, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to their families and society.

While the law guarantees access to education, employment, public services, and accessible facilities, Dr Prempeh lamented that many public buildings—including hospitals and schools—remain unfriendly, denying PwDs essential access.

“It is unfortunate that since the passage of the Disability Act, many PwDs still remain on the streets, depending on alms for survival,” she said. “Others cannot access critical services like healthcare because public facilities are not designed with their needs in mind.”

Dr Prempeh called for innovative approaches to economically empower PwDs, reintegrate them into society, and allow them to contribute to national development. She emphasized that social inclusion is a legal right and constitutional obligation, not a matter of charity, urging the government to improve access to schools, healthcare, and public buildings at the community level.

She also highlighted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reminding that their central promise is to leave no one behind. “Unless PwDs fully participate in all aspects of development, Ghana cannot achieve the 2030 targets,” she stressed.

Despite the challenges, Dr Prempeh commended the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) for making its facilities in Accra accessible to PwDs, describing it as a model worth emulating across other government institutions.