GFD Congratulates President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Accra, Ghana, January12, 2017– The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) wishes to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo, on his election and inauguration as the 5th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

It is the hope of the Federation that the New Patriotic Party’s Administration led by his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo , and his Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will ensure an all-inclusive governance which considers the skills and expertise of all Ghanaians regardless of their colour, gender or disability.

The 2016 Manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) identified specific areas of intervention which will be implemented during its tenure of office. Of interest to the Federation are key promises such as the introduction of a policy requiring that 30% of the required 70% of all Government of Ghana, taxpayer-financed contracts and procurements to be executed by local corporate entities be sourced from entities owned by women, persons with disability, and those established under the Youth Enterprise Fund (YEF)(NPP 2016; pg 32). The party also promised to implement inclusive education for Persons with Disability (NPP 2016; pg 125) as well as implement the 3% increase in the persons with disability share of the District Assemblies Common Fund, as announced in 2012.

The GFD will like to show its appreciation for these novel promises and will support the new administration towards their successful implementation in order to better the lives of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable populations. We wish to request His Excellency the President to give due consideration to the following requests:

1. Consider qualified PWDs for appointments into ministerial positions and other positions of trust at national, regional and district levels, including appointment into each of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country.

2. Reconstitute the Board of the National Council on Persons with Disabilities as enshrined in Section 41 of the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) in the immediate term of his administration.

3. Get a presidential sign language interpreter to make his governance accessible to deaf persons and inclusive to all PWDs.

4. Review the Disability Act 715 which was passed by the NPP administration in 2006 to be in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

We wish the president the very best with his new office and we hope that together, we can make our nation great and strong.

The GFD is a national umbrella of organisations of persons with disabilities in Ghana. It was established in 1987 with a mandate to advocate full inclusion and effective participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Ghanaian society. Its current seven national member organisations include, Ghana Blind Union, Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled, Mental Health Society of Ghana, Ghana Association of the Deaf, Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism, ShareCare Ghana - a group of people with auto-immune conditions and Inclusion Ghana – a group of people with intellectual disabilities. GFD has branches in all the 10 regions in Ghana and in over 200 districts in Ghana. GFD works and collaborates with other disability groups including the deafblind, little people, and Burn Survivors Association.

SIGNED
YAW OFORI-DEBRA
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +233-0240-867200