The Ga West Municipal Assembly has cleared its 2025 Disability Common Fund backlog, disbursing over GH₵400,000 in direct cash, working tools, and assistive devices to 67 persons with disabilities across the municipality.
The disbursement event, which took place on Thursday, August 13, 2026, served as a comprehensive exercise aimed at fostering self-reliance, economic independence, and dignified livelihoods among vulnerable residents.
The disbursement targeted four specific areas: business and trade empowerment, agricultural support, educational assistance, and mobility aid.
• Economic Empowerment & Trade: A total of 30 individuals received direct cash grants ranging from GH₵1,000 and GH₵10,000 to venture into Mobile Money, cold storage, and perishable goods trading.
• Equipment & Working Tools: Several beneficiaries received specialised equipment to kickstart or expand businesses. Items presented included 27 deep freezers (accompanied by start-up capital), nine custom container stores of varied sizes, an electric sewing machine with accessories, a knitting machine, an industrial sewing machine with accessories, a fufu-pounding machine, a corn mill, a 5,000-litre Poly tank, and three laptops.
• Inventory & Bulk Commodities: Targeted provisions were made for individual retail traders, including 50 bags of charcoal, a bale of adult and children’s schoolbags, 100 packs of assorted soft drinks and bottled water, as well as a bulk stock of six bags of rice, three bags of sugar, three bags of beans, and three bags of gari.
• Agriculture, Education & Mobility: An active farmer received 10 bags of weedicides and 10 bags of fertiliser to boost crop production.
Educational support was extended to two students, while two wheelchairs and a white cane were distributed to enhance mobility and independence for three individuals.
Photo Description: Beneficiaries sitting under a canopy.
Photo Description: MCE Hon. Sowah-Nai presenting a chest freezer to a deaf man, with PM Amuzu and others looking on.
Photo Description: MP Hon. Afenyo presenting a corn mill machine to a deaf young man with the support of PM Amuzu, Hon. Kujem and a sign language interpreter.
Clearing the Backlog & Restoring Normalcy
Explaining the timing of the exercise, the Ga West Municipal Social Welfare Director, Madam Evelyn Nanbigne, revealed in an interview with DisabilityNewsGH.com that administrative challenges in 2024 forced a halt to disbursements that year.
Consequently, the 2024 allocation was carried out in 2025, shifting the 2025 distribution to this year.
Madam Nanbigne expressed strong optimism that the Assembly will execute another disbursement exercise before the end of 2026 to correct the structural backlog and align future releases with the natural order of quarterly allocations.
MP Warns Relatives Against Usurping PWD Support
Speaking at the ceremony, the Member of Parliament for Amasaman, Hon. Sedem Afenyo, reaffirmed his campaign pledge to champion the welfare of persons with disabilities in the constituency.
Hon. Afenyo promised to leverage external partnerships, including international donors and non-governmental organisations, to complement state efforts.
He issued a stern warning to relatives who attempt to confiscate or fight over items presented to PWDs, emphasising that the support is strictly meant for the vulnerable beneficiaries and not their able-bodied family members.
“It is not their fault to live with a disability, and when society shuns them, it causes immense emotional harm,” Hon. Afenyo stated. “We expect families to provide physical and emotional backing alongside government assistance to make life better for them, rather than fighting them over these items.”
Photo Description: Hon. Afenyo with a microphone in his hand, addressing the gathering.
MCE Praises Dignity Over Begging; Assembly Leadership Urges Accountable Use
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. John Desmond Sowah-Nai, commended the beneficiaries for choosing hard work over street begging, describing their resilience as inspiring.
“I am truly happy that you have chosen to work rather than beg on the streets,” Hon. Sowah-Nai remarked. “Never look down on yourselves because of physical impairments. Believe in your capacity to work hard and contribute meaningfully to your families and the nation.”
Hon. Sowah-Nai also praised the government’s Assembly Representative for persons with disabilities, Hon. Genevieve Ama Kujem, for her relentless advocacy and lobbying on behalf of the disability community.
Photo Description: Hon. Sowah-Nai with a microphone in his hand, addressing the gathering.
Adding his voice, the Presiding Member of the Assembly, Hon. E. K. Mawuli Amuzu, cautioned beneficiaries against selling their working tools or mismanaging the provided seed capital, urging them to build sustainable livelihoods.
Photo Description: Hon. Amuzu with a microphone in his hand, addressing the gathering.
The Chairman of the Disability Fund Management Committee, Mr. J. B. Danquah, expressed gratitude to the government for the timely release of funds and commended the Sector Minister for demonstrating a keen interest in the disbursement process across MMDAs.
Congratulating the beneficiaries, Mr. Danquah also advised them to protect and make good use of the funds and equipment, revealing that the committee will soon conduct field monitoring visits.
He also urged pending applicants to remain patient, assuring them that vetting for the next batch of applications will commence shortly.
He encouraged PWDs across the municipality to actively participate in their respective association meetings and assist the Assembly by providing accurate membership data.
Mr. Danquah concluded by thanking his fellow committee members, as well as the Director and staff of the Social Welfare and Community Development Department, for their hard work in making the exercise successful.
Beneficiary Reactions & Resolution of Missing Capital
While the vast majority of beneficiaries expressed excitement and satisfaction with the exercise, a few individuals who received deep freezers noted that their expected accompanying seed capital was omitted.
Addressing these concerns, Madam Evelyn Nanbigne assured the affected beneficiaries that the administrative oversight was being corrected and that their seed capital would be released within the shortest possible time.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
