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The National Council for Persons with Disability, in collaboration with the Ghana Federation of the Disabled has commissioned a regulatory framework to guide the disbursement and management of the disability component of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF). The twelve page mini booklet is meant to guide the administration of the 2 percent component of DACF, which has been a source of tension between PWDs and several District Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies across the country.
In a welcome address, the GFD President Mr Samuel Asare mentioned that since the inception of DACF in 2005, GFD and other stakeholders have received numerous complaints pertaining to irregularities surrounding the disbursement and management of the fund.
According Mr Asare, available evidence indicates that only few district assemblies disbursed the disability component of the DACF to the target beneficiaries in the districts. Out of the few district assemblies which disbursed the funds to PWDs, some disbursed less than the allocated two percent whilst others disbursed the funds as loans to PWDs. Some district assemblies also disbursed the funds to only one group of PWDs. In response to the aforementioned complaints, some of the assemblies have emphasized that lack of clear guidelines had remained a major obstacle to the effective disbursement and utilization funds.
Launching the document at the teachers Hall in Accra on Monday 22nd February, the outgoing Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Stephen Amanor Kwao, noted that the document would go a long way in ensuring transparent and effective disbursement and management of the fund. On his part, the Chairman of the NCPD, Mr Andrew Okai Koi expressed a profound appreciation to the members of the disability movement and other stakeholders who contributed to the development of the guidelines.
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