The caretaker minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cecilia Dapaah has charged the new Governing Board of the National Council on Persons with Disability to propose and develop policies and strategies that will help persons with disabilities to participate in national development processes.

According to her, the 13-member board has a major responsibility towards persons with disabilities in the country to better their lot.

While delivering a speech at a short ceremony to swear in the new board, she said: “As the Governing Board of the Council, you are to propose, and evolve policies and strategies to enable persons with disabilities enter and participate in the mainstream of the national development process. Issues of persons with disabilities are very dear to His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana. For this reason, the President’s initiatives are to ensure that persons with disability are participants in the decision-making process.”

The Minister said the government has made a number of commitments towards persons with disabilities and the board must take note of them and also find ways to ensure that persons with disabilities take advantage of the many development policies and programmes of the government.

“I charge you to develop policies to ensure that disability remains a great component of the Ghana CARES Project, which is to be launched soon,” she said.

The board is chaired by Yaw Ofori Debra.

Members of the board include Mercy Aburam, Dr. Comfort Asare, Shadrack Mensah, Mad. Akwelley Adoley Bulley, Mrs. Wilma S. Titus-Glover, Henry George Akuban and Yakor-Dagba Mawunyo Kuma.

The others are Mary Amoah, Dennis Opoku Gyamfi, Florence Ayisi Quartey, Martha Sebiyam Nabila and Mrs. Bruce Lyle.

Mr. Debra in an acceptance speech pledged to ensure the welfare of all persons with disabilities across the country.

He urged the board members to be abreast with international laws and protocols that guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities, which they must fight for and not consider the service to persons with disabilities as acts of charity.

“This board is going to ensure that we undertake a number of programmes to affect the welfare and interest of persons with disability in all parts of the country. Disability is no longer a matter of charity, but it is now a matter of right, and we must all work towards improving the situation of persons with disabilities in the country,” he noted.

Present at the inauguration were Mr. Lariba Zuweira Abudu, Deputy Minister for the Ministry and Dr. Afisah Zakariah, the Chief Director.