Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia
The 2024 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has pledged to provide tertiary scholarships for Persons with Disability if elected President.
According to him, though scholarships are being given to all manner of persons, his administration will dedicate a scholarship scheme purposely for persons with disabilities.
The Vice President who is currently in the Western North Region on a campaign tour said this during a meeting with the clergy in the Region.
Dr Bawumia explained that this will cover both tuition accommodation for PWDs so that they can also benefit from tertiary education
“I am very clear on the way forward. I believe that for Persons with Disabilities, we are going to have to support them a bit more. We are giving scholarships to all sorts of persons but I want to dedicate some of the monies from the Scholarship Secretariat and GETFund to provide free tertiary education for all persons with disabilities who make it to the tertiary level,” Dr Bawumia underscored.
PWDs Board
About that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is taking the steps has already appointed Joshua Makubu as his campaign coordinator for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and special needs as part of his commitment to fostering inclusivity in Ghana.
A statement issued and signed by Dr Bawumia’s Director of Communications, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, said the Vice President has consistently advocated for the rights and inclusion of PWDs in Ghana.
According to him, since 2017, Dr Bawumia has pushed for an increase in the allocation of funds for PWDs under the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), from 2 to 3 per cent.
That, he added, a total of GH¢331,185,775.86 has been disbursed since 2017 for PWDs across the 261 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs), of which 59,040 persons have been supported.
Going forward, Mr Aboagye said Bawumia aimed to strengthen the Local Economic Empowerment policy for citizens with special needs, to create livelihoods and foster national growth.
Plans include the recruitment of 1,000 special education teachers, retraining of teachers to effectively work with special needs students, and expanding training for speech and language therapists, as well as occupational and behavioural therapists.
Secretariat
Meanwhile, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has opened the inaugural Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) Secretariat, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind since the party’s inception in 1992.
Speaking during the official opening of the NPP PWDs Secretariat at Kokomlemle, Accra, the NPP National Chairman, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, said the establishment of the PWDs Secretariat shows the NPP’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and representation within its ranks.
–BY Daniel Bampoe