The Krowor Municipal Assembly has released GH¢267,600 to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the municipality to support their livelihoods and help them become economically independent.
The beneficiaries, who were selected following a needs assessment, also received wheelchairs, a chest freezer and a knitting machine to enable them to establish or expand income-generating activities.
The intervention, under the government’s support programme for PWDs, is aimed at ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the country’s socio-economic development.
Speaking at the disbursement ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Krowor, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, commended the assembly for ensuring that the funds were released to the intended beneficiaries.
She emphasised that the prompt release of resources allocated to PWDs was essential to making government interventions effective.
“Funds transferred to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) will have little impact if they are not promptly released to the beneficiaries,” Dr Lartey said.
She urged the beneficiaries to put the cash and items to productive use, particularly in ventures that could improve their livelihoods and strengthen their economic independence.
Dr Lartey also called on assemblies that were yet to disburse funds meant for PWDs to expedite the assessment of beneficiaries to ensure that the resources were released promptly.
She said the ministry, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, would continue to monitor the use of the funds to ensure that they reached the intended beneficiaries and were not diverted.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Krowor, Mr Paul Afotey Quaye, said the intervention demonstrated the government’s commitment to an inclusive development agenda in which no one was left behind.
He disclosed that the government had increased the allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund for PWDs from three per cent to five per cent, with about 80 per cent of the fund channelled through the MMDAs.
Mr Afotey Quaye said the assembly would continue to implement government policies and programmes aimed at improving the welfare, inclusion and socio-economic empowerment of persons with disabilities.
He then urged the beneficiaries to use the support wisely to establish or expand sustainable businesses and livelihood activities.
That, he mentioned, would enable them to become more self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to their families and communities.
BY EUGENE AMPIAW & NELLY QUARCOOPOME
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