Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) is calling on the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), to as a matter of urgency order the stoppage of the collection of money from the 3% of the district assembly common fund allocated to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) by organizations which are not beneficiaries of the fund, and take immediate action to retrieve all monies paid out of the disability fund to those organizations with immediate effect.
The District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) is a pool of resources created under Article 252 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana. It is a minimum of 7.5% of the national revenue set aside to be shared among all District Assemblies in Ghana with a formula approved by Parliament. The fund is a Development Fund which enables the use of the nation’s wealth throughout Ghana to the benefit of all citizens. Out of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund, the government has set aside a certain percentage (currently 3%) to support initiatives of persons with disabilities (PWDs). To ensure effective disbursement and management of the component of the DACF allocated to PWDs, the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), then Ghana Federation of the Disabled, and the National Council on Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) under the auspices of Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, jointly developed guidelines for proper administration of the Fund and also to insulate the fund from any form of political interference.
Section 1 of the guidelines outlines the aim of the DACF for PWDs as follow:
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minimization of poverty among all PWDs, particularly those outside the formal sector of employment, and The enhancement of their social image through dignified labour. Section 5 of the guidelines delineates the areas for funding as: advocacy /awareness raising on the rights and responsibilities of PWDs strengthening Organizations of PWDs training in employable skills/apprenticeship income generation activities (inputs/working capital) some educational support for children, students and trainees with disabilities provision of technical aids, assistive devices, equipment and registration of NHIS Despite these comprehensive guidelines, the fund is still being misapplied by some political authorities including the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, honorable Collins Dauda.
Two letters issued and signed by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development is being used for collection of the money the 3% of the common fund allotted to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). One of these letters dated September 8, 2016, and signed by the Minister, honorable Collins Dauda, enjoins all the Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to provide “the necessary support” to an unknown Organization, the Disability Franchise Group (DFG) led by Mr. Jacob Adongo. This letter has been used as overriding authority to disburse funds from the disability fund to the DFG in the guise of training blind persons in the use of tactile ballot jacket for the coming elections.
Our checks revealed that on the strength of the said letter Sunyani Municipal Assembly issued a cheque of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis
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(GH₵5,000) from the disability fund to DFG. The disability fund management committees at various MMDAs have been approached on the strength of the same letter to approve payment of fund to DFG. DFG had also visited MMDAs in the Upper West, BrongAhafo,Ashanti, Western, Volta and Greater Accra Regions among others, for the purposes of collecting GH₵5,000 from each MMDA. By simple calculation if all the MMDAs comply with the letter of the introduction and disburse GH₵5,000.00 per MMDA to DFG, a total amount of One Million and eighty thousand Ghana Cedis (GH₵1,080,000.00) will be misapplied from the disability fund.
This is not the first time this unfortunate practice has happened. In 2012 during the tenure of Hon. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, similar letters were issued to enable Mr. Jacob Adongo draw money from the disability fund for a so-called capacity building of PWDs. In that case, the collection of the money started from Upper East Region. There was uproar by PWDs and GFD had to hold a crunch meeting with Hon. Ankrah to arrest the situation.
Another letter dated August 19, 2016, signed by Mr. Joseph M. Dasanah on behalf of the Chief Director of the Local Government Service Secretariat, and addressed to all MMDAs, enjoins them to sponsor two persons to be trained as sign language interpreters for the coming national elections, at the cost of eight hundred Ghana Cedis (GH₵800.00) per person, totaling three hundred and forty thousand, six hundred Ghana cedis (GH₵345,600.00). Supreme Sign Language Institute (SSLI), a private tertiary institute as per the letter signed by the Chief Director of Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, was to train sign language interpreters. Per the guidelines, sign language interpreters are not qualified to access the fund.
It is important to state that though the letters in question have not specified the sources of funding for the sign language and tactile jacket training, the MMDAs have no alternative sources than to disburse from the disability fund. At Ashaiman, both letters were submitted to the disability fund management committee for approval. At Sunyani Municipal, GH₵5000 from the disability fund was disbursed to the DFG on the strength of the letter signed by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development. Additionally, District Assemblies in the afore mentioned regions of Upper West, Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, Western, Volta and Greater Accra Regions have been approached for release of funds to the DFG on the strength of the Minister’s signed letter.
It is imperative that we mention that the disability Franchise Group is not known to the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations or even to the Ghana Blind Union who are the nationally and internationally recognized voice of blind and visually impaired persons in this Country. In the same respect, the Supreme Sign Language Institute is also unknown to the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations or even the Ghana National Association of the Deaf who are also the voice of deaf persons in Ghana.
By this press conference, we call on the minister to discontinue payment of funds from the disability fund to the Disability Franchise Group, Supreme Sign Language Institute any other such bodies/institutions which are not beneficiaries to the fund. Organizations of Persons with Disabilities the Nation over are worried about his development the likely implications that may rise from feeding s. GFD and its member organizations expect the Minister to take immediate action to stop the misapplication of funds from the persons with disabilities PWDs share of the Common Fund.
Mr Yaw Ofori-Debra (PRESIDENT)
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