An amount of GH₵111,045.00 from the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) has been disbursed to 100 vulnerable persons living with various forms of disabilities.
The disbursement which saw the highest beneficiary receiving GH₵4,000.00, with the lowest receiver collecting GH₵460.00, is to enable the Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to undertake productive economic and income generating activities to improve upon their livelihoods.
According Mr Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, the beneficiaries were carefully selected out of over 300 applicants and each received the amount based on their individual needs and capacity to manage the funds.
The DCE who is also the 2020 New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the area, indicated that in July this year, an amount of GH₵82,000.00 was disbursed to 71 beneficiaries and the current disbursement became the biggest amount the assembly had ever received.
Mr Ayamga admonished the beneficiaries to use the fund as indicated in their requests during the assessment processes by the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, the Fund Management Committee and the Business Advisory Centre to boost their local economy.
“Our emphasis is on the establishment and expansion of small scale businesses for obvious reasons. The negative perception about persons with disabilities as persons without any ability to do anything on their own has for a long time been disproved,” he added.
Mr Ayamga warned that any beneficiary who misuses his share of the fund would not have the opportunity to benefit ever again from subsequent disbursement.
The DCE assured that the PWDs resource centre which is being financed by GETFund was at an advanced stage of completion and would fully be completed in good time and handed over for use.
He said, “the project, when completed will provide an environment for skills development to PWDs who require skills to either establish their own businesses or provide services to other establishments.”
Mr Clement Mba, the Bongo Chapter President of the Ghana Federation of Disability (GFD) on behalf of the beneficiaries commended the assembly and government for the continuous support over the years and pledged to use the money purposefully.
The Local President said due to the increment of the disability fund from two per cent and three per cent it has led to more persons benefitting and urged his colleagues to apply the funds as directed to boost their businesses and become self-reliant.
ROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BONGO