Obuasi Assembly to Operationalize Disability Centre, Roll Out Skills Training for PWDs
The Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD) of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Madam Joyce Akosua Angmorteh, has announced plans to operationalize the Obuasi Disability Centre and strengthen its activities through structured skills training programmes for Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs).
According to her, the initiative will see the attachment of a desk officer from the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) to the Disability Centre to coordinate skills development and entrepreneurship training. The aim, she explained, is to equip PWDs with sustainable, income-generating skills to enhance their standard of living and promote economic independence.
Madam Angmorteh made the announcement during activities marking World Disability Day in the Obuasi Municipality. Speaking on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Faustilove Appiah Kannin, she reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to the welfare, inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
She further disclosed that beneficiaries who successfully complete the skills training programme will be supported with start-up kits and seed capital to enable them to establish and sustain their own businesses.
Touching on the management of the Disability Common Fund, the MCD assured the disability community of transparency and accountability. She revealed that in the previous year, the Assembly disbursed GH¢150,000.00 to support PWDs through the provision of livelihood items, payment of school fees and settlement of medical bills.
“Going forward, the Assembly will deploy a more robust and sustainable system to ensure that funds allocated to persons with disabilities are used efficiently to address their real needs,” she stated.
Calls for Greater Inclusion
Addressing the gathering, the Chairman of the Obuasi Branch of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), Hon. Karim Iddrisu, called for the establishment of a disability-focused educational facility in the Municipality. He also expressed concern over the lack of disability-friendly infrastructure in public spaces and appealed to institutions to address the situation.
Hon. Iddrisu further urged both public and private institutions to create employment opportunities for qualified persons with disabilities to enable them to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Adding his voice, the Ashanti Sub-Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Lawyer Samuel Asante-Yeboah, reminded participants that Ghana’s laws protect the rights of PWDs and assured them of CHRAJ’s readiness to offer legal support and representation when necessary.
The event was well attended by members of the disability community, officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, the Information Services Department (ISD), the Special Aide to the MCE, and other stakeholders.
Story by Ernest Kofi Offen
Municipal Information Officer
ISD, Obuasi
