Executive President of the Center for Employment of Persons with Disabilities (CEPD), Alexander Kojo Tetteh has expressed worry over the diversion of Disability Funds into other ventures to the detriment of the welfare of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
Three percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund is supposed to be allocated to the Disability Funds for disbursement to PWDs within the districts.
The money is to help them establish businesses, cater for their medical needs, or pay their school fees.
Mr. Tetteh told Johnnie Hughes on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show that the money is not sufficient but however it is not regularly paid. He also bemoaned how some of the assemblies borrow the funds for other unrelated things at the expanse of the PWDs.
He explained that in the past, the money was lumped up with the Common Fund for the Assembly so they championed the need to have a separate account and now all the districts have separate account for the Disability Fund but still it is the Chief Executive, Administrator, Coordinating Director and the Accountant who have the power to withdraw.
“Some of the district assemblies borrow the money for their activities; some borrow for waste collection. There have been Parliamentary Committees that have investigated and found out this” he added.
“Some of the disabled people sometimes go on demonstration that their monies haven’t come and the assembly tells them the money hasn’t been paid but if you follow up to the District Assembly Common Fund administrator you will realize that the funds have been transferred. So when you go deep then you will find out the money has been borrowed for other things and disabled people will be suffering” Mr. Tetteh lamented.
By Samuel Afriyie Owusu|3news.com|Ghana