The Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) has announced the roll-out of the approved 5 percent PWD allocation formula for 2026, bringing the total estimated distribution to GH¢438.5 million.
The announcement is accompanied by new regulatory guidelines designed to curb local-level mismanagement.
The GH¢438.5 million allocation – nearly double the GH¢225.3 million distributed in 2025 – implements a national policy directive.
The increase originated as a campaign promise made by President John Dramani Mahama ahead of the 2024 general elections, and was subsequently formalised in the national budget by the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. The DACF’s role is to administer the execution of this approved formula.
While the funding increase is a national mandate, the DACF’s announcement introduced rigorous administrative guidelines to regulate how local assemblies manage the funds.
The new guidelines address concerns raised on June 23 on the floor of Parliament by the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, marking the National Day of Persons with Disabilities.
As DisabilityNewsGH.com previously reported, Hon. Ibrahim criticised several local assemblies for arbitrary spending – such as purchasing television sets and refrigerators without consulting PWD registries – and urged closer monitoring of local officers.
In its implementation announcement, the DACF outlined a transition away from unstructured cash handouts and arbitrary procurement.
Local assemblies are directed to focus resources on long-term, dignity-restoring investments, including assistive devices, vocational training, start-up capital, accessible facilities, and educational support.
Direct cash assistance will now be restricted to specific, documented emergency needs, such as medical bills, specialised medications, or special-school fees.
“For too long, our law has spoken more clearly on paper than in the daily lives of persons with disabilities,” said the Administrator of the DACF, Mr. Harry Yamson. “Behind every statistic is a person who asks not for sympathy, but for dignity, and equal, accessible opportunity.”
During his June 23 parliamentary address, Minister Ibrahim also reported that some metropolitan, municipal, and district finance officers do not disclose received fund allocations to their social welfare departments, hindering local coordination.
To resolve this lack of transparency, the DACF’s newly announced guidelines make monthly reporting mandatory.
All local assemblies must now submit detailed utilisation reports of their PWD funds directly to the National Council on Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) for analysis.
Mr. Yamson urged all local authorities to manage disbursements in transparent, needs-based partnerships with the NCPD and local Fund Management Committees. He also called on beneficiaries to use the provided tools and capital productively.
As the constitutional mechanism under Article 252 for distributing national resources to local governments, the DACF’s execution of the 5 percent budget directive aims to ensure that central government policies translate into verifiable local development.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
I warmly commend the Government, the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), and all stakeholders for increasing the 5% allocation for persons with disabilities and introducing stricter guidelines to ensure transparency and accountability. This is a positive step towards promoting dignity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.
However, there are still important issues that require urgent attention. In some workplaces, persons with disabilities continue to face unfair treatment. Some have been removed from leadership positions, such as Head of Department, and replaced by junior officers who do not have disabilities, despite their qualifications, experience, and competence. Such actions undermine equal opportunity and workplace fairness.
Additionally, many persons with disabilities are denied certain staff benefits and privileges, including access to staff quarters or bungalows. In some cases, they are forced to cross streams without footbridges, walk long distances, and cross busy roads before they can access transportation to work. These conditions create unnecessary hardship and do not reflect the principles of accessibility and inclusion.
Furthermore, many persons with disabilities have not been receiving the disability allowance and tax relief that were previously available. We respectfully appeal to the Government to investigate this matter and restore these important support measures where applicable.
We hope that, alongside the increased DACF allocation, the Government will strengthen the enforcement of disability rights, eliminate discrimination in workplaces, improve accessibility, and ensure that every person with a disability is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.
Together, we can build a truly inclusive Ghana where no one is left behind.