The final report of the Ad-hoc Committee of the Ada East Assembly that investigated the December 2025 Disability Fund disbursement – yet to be laid before the general house – shows that out of GH¢77,000 approved for the economic empowerment component of the fund, only GH¢15,800 worth of items were disbursed to beneficiaries.
The document, titled “Report on the Further Investigations into the December, 2025 Disbursements of the 3% Disability Funds,” was prepared by an ad-hoc committee after final hearings on August 5, 2026.
The Financial Breakdown: GH¢77,000 Approved, GH¢15,800 Received
An analysis of the 24 testimonies shows the committee valued all items actually received at the disbursement grounds at GH¢15,800 – just 20.5% of the total amount approved.
-Total Approved for Economic Empowerment: GH¢77,000.00.
-Total Value of Items Received (12 beneficiaries): GH¢15,800.00.
-Shortfall / Value Deficit: GH¢61,200.00 (79.5%).
The remaining 12 beneficiaries received nothing at all, despite approvals of GH¢3,500 for first-time applicants and GH¢3,000 for repeat beneficiaries.
Information available to DisabilityNewsGH.com indicates that items still in the custody of the Assembly after being rejected by beneficiaries were not assigned a value, on the basis that no legitimate disbursement was done.
The committee concluded that “no legitimate disbursement was done” while the Assembly maintains that no funds have moved from its accounts.
Case-by-Case: What Was Approved vs What Was Presented
The pattern across the 24 cases is consistent: approved cash converted to low-value goods.
For example:
- Caleb Akuaku (Approved GH¢3,000) but given 3 bags okra plus 1 bag onion, valued at GH¢600. Top-up recommended: GH¢2,400.
- Joseph Amartey Amanor (Approved GH¢3,500) but given 10 bottles liquid soap, 4 Omo, 4 toilet soaps, valued at GH¢500. Top-up recommended: GH¢3,000.
- Jemima Akusika (Approved GH¢3,500) but given 20 bags small salt, valued at GH¢800. Top-up recommended: GH¢2,700.
- Atruku Emmanuel (Approved GH¢3,500) but given a dozen headgear (Duku), valued at GH¢1,200. Top-up recommended: GH¢2,300.
- Maadey Teyekpiti Anita (Approved GH¢3,500) but given a carton of partially spoiled frozen fish, sold for GH¢200. Top-up recommended: GH¢2,400.
According to the report, the 12 who received nothing are to be paid their allocations in full, while the 12 who received items are to be topped up to reach GH¢3,500 for first-time applicants and GH¢3,000 for repeat beneficiaries, before 15 September 2026.
Assembly’s “No Money Moved” Claim Meets Community Skepticism
Despite the damning physical evidence, the Assembly Administration maintains that even though the disbursement was planned and executed on the ground, “no funds have actually moved from the bank account”.
This assertion is being viewed with deep skepticism by the local disability community. Advocates have questioned how physical items – including poultry feed, headgears, okra and fish – were procured, packaged and transported to the disbursement venue if no public funds were released or commitments made to suppliers.
To verify the financial commitment behind the items procured and the Assembly’s claim that no funds moved, DisabilityNewsGH.com has, pursuant to the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), submitted a formal request to the Ada East District Assembly for copies of procurement invoices, payment vouchers, supplier contracts, the statement of account for the Disability Fund from March 2025 to date, and the release warrant.
Media Misinformation and Silence on the Procurement Officer
A major anomaly in the handling of the second probe involves the Procurement Officer, Mr Paul Avortri.
During the second hearing which was led by the Presiding Member, the committee verbally informed journalists that Mr Avortri was officially invited through the Coordinating Director but failed to show up.
However, an analysis of the intercepted written report reveals that it is completely silent on Mr Avortri. The document contains no mention of his invitation, his non-appearance during both sittings, or his role in the procurement process.
Furthermore, an independent investigation by DisabilityNewsGH.com reveals that the committee’s verbal claim to the media was factually inaccurate.
Mr Avortri contacted DisabilityNewsGH.com directly after our last publication on the matter, denying that he ever received an invitation or summons to appear before the panel during the last sitting.
When DisabilityNewsGH.com later approached the Coordinating Director, who was officially instructed by the General Assembly to issue formal invitation letters to all parties, she declined to confirm whether she ever invited Mr Avortri to the hearing.
Shielding Top Management: The Uninvited Coordinating Director
Crucially, the intercepted report also completely ignores earlier explosive testimonies regarding the Coordinating Director, Madam Jean Amerley Taggoe.
During the initial hearing, testimonies directly indicted the Coordinating Director for overriding the Disability Fund Management Committee’s (FMC) decision to issue cash grants, allegedly ordering that physical items be procured instead.
She was also accused of playing a key role in selecting the supplier through a sole-sourced arrangement.
During the July 31 General Assembly sitting, members explicitly recommended that all persons cited in the initial report be invited to the second hearing to address the allegations.
This was because the initial report contained serious allegations against the Coordinating Director and the Procurement Officer, who had not appeared before the committee.
The House therefore ordered further investigations to hear their sides, as well as testimonies from the applicants, among others.
Strangely, the Coordinating Director was never invited to appear before the panel, and the intercepted report contains no reference to her alleged directive or administrative interference.
Watered-Down Sanctions for Social Welfare Director
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the intercepted report is the drastic watering down of disciplinary recommendations compared to the committee’s preliminary findings.
In the preliminary report, committee discussions pointed towards severe administrative failure, with recommendations being considered for the resignation or removal of the District Social Welfare Director, Mr Enock Addy.
However, in this second intercepted document, all punitive sanctions against state officers have been erased. Instead, the committee’s sole disciplinary recommendation against leadership is:
“That Mr Enock Addy (District Social Welfare Director) apologise to the disability community at a General Assembly meeting and through the media houses.“
Advocates argue that asking a senior public officer to merely issue an apology over an administrative failure that nearly siphoned GH¢61,200 in public funds is grossly inadequate, non-deterrent, and fails to uphold basic public sector accountability.
When this report is formally laid before the General Assembly in the coming days, Assembly Members and disability advocates are expected to fiercely debate its contents, challenge the omission of key officers, and demand a full referral to external investigative bodies, including EOCO and the Auditor-General.
By Daniel Akpaloo Nyorgmor, Ada
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
