Gov’t must implement National Ageing Policy - Help Age

This year’s International Day for the Older Persons (IDOP) was held last Thursday at Shama, with a call on the government to start implementing the National Ageing Policy (NAP) to address challenges the aged faced in the country.

Mr Edward Ameyibor, Vice President of HelpAge Ghan, a non-governmental organisation, said work on the Aged Act should not be a foot-dragging business and called on authorities to complete the process by the end of the year.

The 25th anniversary of the (IDOP) held in the fisheries community was marked with a durbar organized by the Shama Business Forum, in collaboration with Helpage Ghana. It was attended by over 1,000 older persons drawn from the Shama District.

The celebration was on the theme “sustainability and age inclusiveness in the urban environment.”

Mr Ameyibor, a veteran journalist, stressed the need for older persons to be included in the in-country monitoring indicators to be developed to track the progress of implementation of the sustainable development goals for the next 15 years.

This, he noted, would enable government and other stakeholders involved in the process to report on the impact, the goals make on the quality of life of the aged.

The Vice President of the aged, called on the government to support initiatives by some countries and coalition of non-governmental organizations to change the format currently being used for meetings on the United Nations Open-Ended Working group on aging.

This would go a long way to achieve the objective of agreeing on an International Convention on the Rights of older persons.

Mr Ameyibor said older persons must not be treated as “recipients of welfare and as a burden on society, but rather as contributors to the development of the nation as they have a right to a dignified and secured life.”

Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, called on governments to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable so that no aged person is left behind.

He stressed the need for generating opportunities for their economic and social participation in accessible and safe environment, including providing affordable housing and social services needed to support them to live in comfort.

The UN Secretary General noted that by 2050 the number of the aged from 60 years and above would increase to more than 900 million. This would comprise a quarter of the total urban population in developing countries

Mr Isaac Kwamina Afful, President of the Shama Business Forum, in a speech read on his behalf, said the plight and importance of the aged moved members of the forum to contribute towards sponsoring the event.

The forum distributed quantities of food items including rice, sugar, cooking oil, soft drinks and commodities to all the aged who attended the programme.

Mr Gabriel Essilfie, Member of Parliament for Shama, called for the creation of a recreational centre for the aged to relieve their boredom.