Chairman of the Disability Caucus in Parliament Dr Clement Apaak has revealed to the media that the caucus is working to officially formalise and make it a committee.
According to ro him, formalisation of the caucus was in progress, “we intend to meet with the Speaker of Parliament soon and afterwards introduce the caucus to the clerk.”
He explained that the caucus is a voluntary group made up of parliamentarians interested in championing the cause of persons with disabilities in Ghana.
The Builsa South MP made the remarks when the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), together with some officials of Sight Savers and Ghana Somubi Dwumadie, visited Parliament.
The two groups were in parliament to discuss the progress of work concerning the formalisation of the Caucus.
There are currently 22 members of Parliament who have signed up to be members of the disability caucus, and the number is likely to grow, the MP said.
“We are committed to this because we believe that issues of disability need to be mainstreamed,” Dr Apaak said.
On his part, Mr Andrew Asiamah Amoako, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Member of Parliament for Fomena, noted that the needs of persons with disabilities must be prioritised.
He promised to support the cause of persons with disabilities.
He said, “We will not let you down.”
Mr Alexander Bankole Williams, Advocacy Committee Chairman of the GFD, admonished the members of Parliament to ensure that the Speaker received formal communication on the formalisation of the disability caucus.
Background
In April 2022, a disability Inclusion Retreat with selected members of parliament was held.
The retreat aimed to give the disability caucus in parliament an opportunity to better understand disability issues.
Dr. Apaak described the retreat as insightful, adding “As a nation, we haven’t done much in addressing challenges that persons with disability face, we have only been paying lip service.”
The two-day retreat was organized by Ghana Somubi Dwumadie, a four-year disability programme with a specific focus on mental health and Sight Savers Ghana, a non-governmental organization with support from UK-Aid, discussed the disability concept and context in Ghana.
The retreat brought together selected members of parliament and civil society players in the disability sector as well as officials from the National Council on Persons with Disability.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
