People With Disabilities Expose MDAs Misusing Disability Funds

A Community Entry Assessment, jointly undertaken by Teere, has accused some Municipal and District Assemblies of misusing the three per cent of the District Assembly Common Fund meant for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

The report was undertaken by Teere, a Non-Governmental Organization in collaboration with the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) in the Upper East Region.

This came up at the launch of a project dubbed “Promoting Transparency and Accountability in the Management , Disbursement Procedures and the Utilization of the 3 per cent District Assembly Common Fund allocated to Persons With Disabilities” in Bolgatanga.

The Project, funded by the French Embassy, is being implemented in seven Districts out of the thirteen MDAs in the region, and they are Garu-Tempane, Kassena-Nankana West, Talensi, Bongo, Bolgatanga, Nabdam and Builsa South Districts.

The report cited instances where the MDAs flouted the guidelines of the disbursement of the funds, meant for PWDs by using the funds for other activities of the assemblies including political activities.

It also indicted the assemblies for allowing their staff to carry money to communities to do the disbursement in cash, instead of issuing cheques to the PWDs, and alleged that there were many instances where the Fund Management Committee and other Committees which were supposed to be part of the disbursement team were ignored.

Mr. David Aniah, the President of the Upper East branch of the GFD, who presented the report, called on the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council to ensure that proper auditing was conducted from the period of 2010 to 2016, to help retrieve monies meant for PWDs.

Professor Ephraim Nsor Avea, the Chief Executive Officer of Teere, said the project is aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the management, disbursement procedures and the utilization of the three percent District Assembly Common Fund allocated to PWDs.

He said it is regrettable that the assemblies which could adopt various ways of mobilizing internal revenue could fall on the meager sums meant to support PWDs.

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