State institutions trained on the rights of persons with disabilities and inclusive development

A two-day training workshop for multi-sectorial state agencies on the rights of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and inclusive development has been held at Akosombo in the Eastern Region.

The project held on Thursday, November 23 to Friday, November 24, 2023, being implemented under the UN partnership on the rise of persons with disabilities and facilitated by the UNDP, drew together several state agencies strategically selected based on their roles in promoting the rights of PWDs.

The workshop formed part of a project dubbed, "Implementing Essential Pre-Conditions To Advance The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities In Ghana".

The event discussed the role of the various state institutions as duty bearers to implement initiatives that seek to promote inclusive development bordering on the Persons with Disability Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs.

The objective of the training was to sensitise state institutions to understand their obligations to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Additionally, the platform ensured that the institutions receive enhanced knowledge on disability modules as well as basic obligations of the state under the UN convention on the rights of PWDs and how those institutions can ensure that adequate planning and budgetary allocations are made for them.

Programmes Officer for the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), Adam Abdul-Wahab, speaking to the press after the event acknowledged that successive governments have initiated some steps to address the concerns of PWDs, but he expressed regret at the slow pace of the process of drafting and implementing initiatives geared towards addressing the needs of PWDs.

Outlining some of the major challenges PWDs encounter in Ghana, the Programmes Officer said the lack of adequate budgetary allocation to implement the inclusive education policy continues to impede access to education by the PWDs, access to health where the lack of ramps and communication gaps affect PWDs accessibility to healthcare, and lack of employment opportunities.

Failure to combat these impediments to the disability community in Ghana, he noted, could adversely affect the group’s active participation in society.

To address some of these challenges, Adam Abdul Wahab tasked the government to ensure the completion of the amendment of the PWDs Act in line with the UN conventions on the rights of PWDs and the adoption and implementation of the employment equity policy to address the employment needs of PWDs.