The Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), H.E. John Dramani Mahama, has endorsed the Private Member’s Bill initiated by the Member of Parliament for the Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, which seeks to ensure a 5 percent mandatory minimum employment of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in all public and private institutions in Ghana.
In a speech read on his behalf by Hon. Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, Chairperson of the Gender and Social Protection Committee of the NDC, during a Stakeholders’ meeting in Accra on April 8, 2024, President Mahama said, “As you already know, the NDC is the Party with a longstanding record and history of championing the welfare and living conditions of persons with disabilities in Ghana. Apart from being the only Party with a disability desk, it was under the NDC that Ghana ratified the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities with its optional protocol; the first-ever appointment of a PWD as a cabinet Minister in the person of Dr. Henry Seidu Danaah, former Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs; and the registration of a total of 288 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) for better targeting of service delivery as captured in the 2014 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government, among others.”
President Mahama added that, “In a 24-hour economy, no Person with Disability (PWD) should be left behind as we seek to empower our people, and ensure all persons, including PWDs, contribute effectively and play meaningful roles in building the Ghana We Want. I, therefore, give you the firm assurance that upon assumption of office, I will go further to redevelop and improve the database of PWDs and ensure that this mandatory minimum employment of Persons with Disabilities Bill is effectively implemented in Ghana.”
The sponsor of the Bill and MP for Madina, Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, stated that the next NDC Government would continue to strengthen the legal and policy framework for the protection of the rights of women, children, and persons with disabilities, as well as all vulnerable groups in Ghana, as part of efforts to achieve SDG 10.
The Bill to ensure the mandatory minimum employment of PWDs was initiated since July 2022, intended to significantly reduce poverty among persons with disabilities in Ghana. The stakeholders’ meeting was held to seek the input of members of the disability community before its presentation before Parliament.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com