The Ghana Chamber for Entrepreneur With Disabilities (GCED) of the Person With Disabilities (PWD) has threatened to embark on a nationwide demonstration over worsening economic conditions in the country.
This is to express their displeasure with the government over the high cost of living, including the sudden hike in fuel prices, the depreciation of the cedi, and the high inflation rate amongst others.
Speaking at a media engagement on Friday, November 5, the President of GCED, Alexander Kojo Tetteh indicated that the disabled in the country are finding it extremely difficult and almost impossible to meet their daily cost of living as a large chunk of the members cannot afford food, rent, water, clothes, and transport.
“Cost of food and transport fares, in particular, have gone up automatically and that has brought untold hardship on PWDs across the country. Our members spend more on transport because of the peculiar nature of our problem”.
“ This is because, by the nature of our disability, we are unable to use the normal public transport (trotro) which is cheaper than other forms of transport say Uber, bolt, and taxis and because we are unable to use the same, we are compelled to use the latter” he added.
Mr. Tetteh further indicated that the District Assembly common fund for members of the PWD has suffered some delays worsening the economic crisis for the disabled. The government has not disbursed the funds to the assembly for the past year.
“We are in the fourth quarter cash hasn’t arrived. This has compounded the situation for the disabilities. PWDs have families to cater for and are really under severe hardship occasioned by the worsening economic crisis”.
Mr. Tetteh also called on President Akufo-Addo to use his executive powers to provide urgent interventions to ameliorate the suffering of persons with disabilities in Ghana, threatening to embark on a demonstration if the government fails to address the situation.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke