The Special Olympics Ghana, an organisation focused on providing sporting opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra.
The partnership with the government through the GES was aimed at supporting and promoting Special Olympics to ultimately foster inclusiveness.
It also formed part of Special Olympics’ Global Leadership Coalition for an Inclusion Agenda.
Speaking at the signing, the Deputy Director-General of the GES, Mr Stephen Kwaku Owusu, said the partnership was essential as it shows commitment to supporting persons with special needs to unearth their talents and activities to participate in sports.
The collaboration, he said, came on the back of Ghana’s participation at the recently held 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.
He disclosed that about nine athletes represented Ghana at the Games and came back with medals.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Special Olympics Ghana to foster inclusion through sporting activities among special people,” he added.
The government, he said, was committed to providing an enabling environment for people with special needs to excel both in sports and academics.
To this end, he said the GES would initiate tournaments across the country that would provide the platform for persons with special needs to engage in sports.
The President for Special Olympics Africa, Mr Charles Nyambe, said Ghana was the first in Africa to take the bold step of signing MoU with the government to support activities of special people.
“It seems special persons have been sidelined for far too long and this bold step would go a long way to bring more stakeholders on board to support the movement,” he stressed.
“Special Olympics has been identified globally as a driver of inclusiveness through sports (both on and off the field),” he stated.
He said the continental body was committed to supporting Ghana to make progress in the promotion of Special Olympics in Africa.
The Board Chair, Special Olympics Ghana, Dr Ebenezer Owusu, added that they would continue to create opportunities for special people to bring out their hidden talents.
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE