Leading disability advocacy organisations in Ghana have called for a major structural reform of the state’s disability oversight architecture, demanding that the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD) be elevated to an independent Commission.
The demand is a key provision in the draft Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2026, currently awaiting Cabinet approval.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra recently, representatives of the Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) argued that the current National Council lacks the independent statutory power and enforcement capacity to hold public and private institutions accountable for non-compliance with disability laws.
Advocates assert that the transition from a Council to a Commission is necessary to give the regulatory body the legal autonomy required to monitor and prosecute violations of disability rights.
Under the current framework, the Council operates under the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, which advocates argue limits its operational speed and regulatory independence.
“We demand that both Cabinet and Parliament ensure that the will of persons with disabilities to have the Council elevated to a Commission is realised,” the joint statement noted. “This is essential to give the body the independent power required to operate effectively.”
Beyond the structural transition, the OPDs outlined several critical funding and capacity requirements that must be addressed to ensure the successful implementation of the 2026 Bill once passed:
Direct Budgetary Integration: They are demanding that disability inclusion be integrated directly into national and sectoral budgeting processes as a core national development priority, rather than as an administrative add-on.
Adequate Resource Allocation: State authorities must allocate dedicated funding to the newly proposed Commission, district assemblies, and sector ministries to coordinate, monitor, and enforce the revised regulations.
Meaningful Participation: The OPDs have called on Parliament to ensure the active and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in all remaining stages of the legislative process and subsequent implementation.
Advocacy groups argue that without an independent, well-funded Commission to oversee compliance, even the most progressive clauses in the revised 2026 Bill will remain purely aspirational, repeating the implementation failures of the past two decades.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
