Bongo DCE – Hon. Peter Ayimbisa
The Bongo District Assembly in the Upper East Region has disbursed a total of GH¢54,314.50 to some 125 persons with disabilities in the district.
The disbursement is in fulfillment of the distribution guidelines of the District Assemblies Common Fund in which 3 percent of the total amount transferred to the Assembly, has been allocated to persons living with disabilities.
The 125 beneficiaries form part of the first batch of persons with disabilities who applied to the Assembly for support to embark on various economic ventures and to pay school fees and settle cost of vocational training. This time, the Assembly issued cheques to the beneficiaries instead of cash, as a measure to formalize the disbursement of the money.
The Bongo District Chief Executive, Peter Ayimbisa, prior to presenting the cheques to the 125 beneficiaries, said, the Nana Akufo-Addo led government has fulfill its campaign promise of increasing the Disability Fund component of the District Assemblies Common Fund, from 2 percent to 3 percent and urged beneficiaries to make good use of the amounts given them to justify the increment.
He commended the Bongo Disability Fund Management Committee for the thorough investigations they did about the beneficiaries to enable them disburse the funds to the right people.
He urged the beneficiaries to do exactly what they requested the money for and in case of any challenges, they should fall on the Assembly for technical advice and support, saying, “… we want to see your businesses starting well, so that, the next support you will get, will be for expansion and to employ other people to work with you.”
Upper East Regional President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organization, David Aniah commended the Assembly for being faithful in the release of the fund and was happy with the mode of disbursement.
In his view, giving the beneficiaries cheques, will help to avoid situations where some of them spend the money even before they reach home, adding that, “receiving cheques will even encourage some of them to do bank transaction for the first time and encourage them to also save at the bank.”
FROM: EBO BRUCE-QUANSAH, Bongo