Consultative Meeting With Stakeholders To Review Disability Act

The National Council for People with Disability under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection on Wednesday 14^th February, 2018, held a consultative meeting with Disability Organisations and other stakeholders to review the Disability Act.

The meeting which was held at the forecourt of the Ministry sought to discuss and examine proposals submitted for consideration in line with efforts to amend the Disability Act, (Act715, 2006) which was passed by parliament in2006.

In a speech read on behalf of the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Otiko Afisah Djaba, the AG. Director of the ministry, Madam Efua Anyanful indicated that Ghana ratified the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) and that, in order to domesticate the UNCRPD there is the need to review Ghana’s current Disability Act, (Act 715, 2006) before harmonising them.

She also stated that the ministry had in line with this development, received proposals from Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOs), Organization of Persons With Disabilities (OPWDs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and MMDAs among others seeking the amendment of the Act.

The meeting was a success as participants agreed to constitute a Technical Committee to harmonise the Act and proposals the Ministry had received with the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disability.