Oguaa District Assembly To Assist The Disabled

The Cape Coast Municipal Assembly is to support the vulnerable groups including the disabled under its three-year medium term development programme.

Mr Kojo Anaisie Yarquah, Presiding Member of the assembly who announced this on Saturday said under the programme the assembly in conjunction with the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (OIC) would train the physically handicapped to be self-employed.

He was addressing a programme organised by the Ghana Association of the Blind in conjunction with the Ghana Cities Mission, an NGO based at Cape Coast to mark the celebration of the United Nations Disabled Day.

The programme under the theme "HIV/AIDS the disabled not an exception," was attended by over 300 physically handicapped persons drawn from Cape Coast, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese and Twifo-Heman-Lower Denkyira.

Mr George Neizer, National Co-ordinator for the mission who spoke on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, said their disability should not prevent them from fulfilling the purpose for which God created them and asked them to avail themselves of the opportunities being offered them by their district assemblies.

Mr Joseph Akoto, Accountant of the mission advised to them to make some savings so that they would not be found wanting in their old age. Mr George Frimpong Secretary of the Ghana Association of the Blind appealed to the government to include their guide allowances in the Accountant-General's pay roll.

According to him, the allowances were paid through heads of departments but expressed regret that since January this year their allowances had not been paid to them.