General News of Friday, 3 February 2017

Source: starrfmonline.com

Akufo-Addo has neglected us – PWDs

President Akufo-Addo President Akufo-Addo

The Ghana Federation of Disability says it feels discriminated in the ministerial appointments by President Akufo-Addo.

According to Adam Wahab, the federation’s Communications and Media Relations Officer, they feel neglected and that they are “not happy with the Ministerial Appointments made by president Nana Akufo-Addo.”

Speaking in an interview with Nii Arday Clegg on Morning Starr Friday, Mr. Wahab said people with disability have some challenges that need to be addressed, hence their call for equal representation in government.

“We feel we are not represented at well enough….a person with disability should also be appointed as minister or in a high level position so that decision making will also go a long way to affect persons with disability,” he averred.

He continued that: “But as it is now, the list of ministers that have been nominated does not really include persons with disability. We are only aware of the Central regional minister who is a person with disability. But we think that we should have more than one so that we would be able to push the agenda of inclusiveness.”

Asked if members of the federation tabled their concerns to the president, Mr. Wahab said attempts were made but they had proven futile, noting that “we assume that since he [president AKufo-Addo] has just assume office, he must be very busy.”

That was why, according to him, the campaign is being waged in the media landscape to court the president’s attention.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its 2016 manifesto promised to amend the Disability Act to bring it into line with the United Nation Convention on Disability. Also, the party pledged to pass appropriate Legislative Instruments for the implementation of the Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), including implementing equal employment opportunity policies for appointment into public offices for persons living with disability.