The Shai-Osudoku District Assembly (SODA) in the Greater Accra Region has advised staff of the Social Welfare Department, parents of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and the public not to connive with PWDs to access the disabilities fund, as that amounts to impersonation.

Similarly, parents and beneficiaries of the PWDs Fund have also been advised not to attempt to sell the items given by SODA, as measures have been put in place to expose such beneficiaries.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Shai-Osudoku District, Ignatius Godfred Dordoe, gave the advice at the disbursement of the first batch of items for PWDs at Dodowa last Wednesday.

Whilst some of the beneficiaries received items ranging from fridges, wheelchairs, fufu machines, grinding machines, spraying machines, fertilisers, weedicides, hearing aids, lenses and prostheses worth GH¢100,000, cash amounting to GH¢100,000 was also presented to 55 of them.

As part of the programme, the district directorate of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) renewed cards for 52 people and registered three new ones free of charge.         

Renewed commitment

“As an assembly, we stepped into 2025 with renewed commitment to the principles enshrined in the Disability Act 715 of 2006 and the policies governing the District Assembly Common Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

“This Fund is more than financial support; it is a life-changing intervention, a bridge to opportunities and declaration of our belief in the dignity, potential and contribution of all members of our society, regardless of ability,” Mr Dordoe stated.

The DCE said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was a social government keen on taking care of the poor in communities as a social class and would, therefore, not tolerate any cheating in any form with regard to the disbursement of the PWDs Fund.

He explained that there were instances not necessarily in the Shai-Osudoku District where PWDs infiltrated different districts and enjoyed as beneficiaries, while the same people enjoyed in their mother districts.

That, he described as impersonation, which is a serious offence punishable by law when perpetrators are caught.

“We want to be fair and, therefore, I have advised the social welfare officer and her team to do contact tracing of all the beneficiaries, including picking up their GPS address to ensure that those who received the items were not impersonators but were really with us in our district,” the DCE stressed.      

Mr Dordoe, who was an assembly member for the Natriku Electoral Area in the Shai-Osudoku District for 16 years prior to his elevation as the DCE, noted with concern that during his time as an assembly member, he was very passionate about issues of disability, which he championed at assembly meetings without hesitation.

“Let me say that during my time as the assembly member, an officer of SODA embezzled the PWDs’ Fund meant to be disbursed to them and I singlehandedly chased the officer until he returned the money, which was used in the interest of the PWDs.

“Therefore, I am always keen on the issues of PWDs and I shall continue to be a promoter of PWDs’ issues in their interest,” the DCE emphasised.

Dignified lives

The District Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, Theresa Kutu, said the purpose of the disbursement was to provide financial support, technical aid and educational health assistance that enabled the PWDs to live dignified lives.

She said the beneficiaries were carefully selected, devoid of impersonators and assured the assembly of her team’s monitoring to ensure the right people benefited.

The chairperson of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, Seth Volunyor, who chaired the programme, assured the assembly that effective measures would be put in place by the district executives of the association to ensure they used the items for the intended purposes.