PARLIAMENT’S Committee on Local Government and Rural Development has commended the Nanumba South District Assembly (NSDA) for extending its disability support programme to cover persons with visual impairments, autism and other conditions.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Mrs Queenster Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, said the initiative was commendable, as many Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) often restricted disability support to persons with physical disabilities, leaving out other vulnerable groups.
She said persons with visual impairments and autism also required support at the local level and should not be excluded from the disbursement of the government allocation meant to support persons with disabilities (PwDs).
Mrs Sawyerr made the remarks when the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Nanumba South, Mr Musah Abdul-Rashid, and his team appeared before the committee at a public hearing on Friday to consider the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report.
Mr Abdul-Rashid told the committee that the Assembly had identified and categorised 1,977 persons with disabilities into 19 groups, including people with physical and visual impairments, hearing disabilities, epilepsy, burn injuries, mental health conditions and autism.
He said the categorisation was based on data obtained from the district hospital, adding that the Assembly provided beneficiaries with medication and detergents.
The Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee, Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, said the DCE’s detailed classification had enlightened members of the committee and urged other MMDAs to adopt the initiative.
“Madam Chair, I must say that this DCE has a lot to teach us and his colleagues, because this level of classification is the first time, I must confess that we are seeing,” Mr Acquah said.
Another member of the committee, Mrs Theresa Awuni Lardi, also commended the Assembly for including persons with autism in its classification, given the challenges associated with caring for people with the condition.
She praised parents who cared for children with such conditions and urged the National Dean of the MMDAs to encourage other assemblies to adopt the DCE’s initiative to ensure wider coverage of persons with disabilities. Read More.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON TETTEY
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