Civil society organisations and advocacy groups for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have welcomed government’s decision to channel 80 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) directly to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), describing it as a step toward faster disbursement of resources and inclusive local development.
At a stakeholder workshop in Ho organised by the Women with Disability Development and Advocacy Organisation (WODAO) in partnership with Sightsavers International, ABAK Foundation, and the European Commission, participants emphasised the need to build strategic alliances to promote the rights of women with disabilities.
Madam Veronica Denyo Kofiedu, Executive Director of WODAO, said the direct allocation would help speed up access to the statutory three per cent share of the DACF earmarked for PWDs. She underscored the importance of strengthening advocacy, building coalitions, and pushing for policies that eliminate barriers to participation.
Other speakers, including Mr. Augustus Awity, former Volta Regional Chief Director, and Mr. David Agyeman, Country Director of Sightsavers, called for deeper collaboration to expand opportunities for women with disabilities and promote community mobilisation.
Messages of solidarity from the Ghana Federation of Persons with Disabilities, African Disability Institute, Voice of Women and Children with Disabilities, and the Department of Social Welfare echoed a collective commitment to breaking barriers of discrimination and championing equal opportunities.
The workshop, themed “Fostering Strategic Alliances to Promote the Rights of Women with Disabilities in Development,” became a platform for disability advocates to reaffirm their role in ensuring that new government policies translate into real change on the ground.
