By Dennis Peprah, GNA
Sunyani, Dec. 12, GNA - The Brong Ahafo Branch of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) has called on government to reserve five per cent of its beneficiaries of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PfFJs) programme for People with Disabilities (PWDs).
The society lauded the implementation of the PfFJs programme in the country and commended the government for the successes achieved so far.
The GSDP expressed optimism that government would ensure total inclusion of the disabled to benefit from the programme and help enhance their socio-economic livelihoods by introducing livestock production and vegetable farming.
The society made the appeal in a press statement, jointly signed by Joyce Mensah, the Brong-Ahafo Regional President of the GSDP and Pontius Ninwiri, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinator of the GSPD Secretariat and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
It said the PfFJs had made significant impact in enhancing food production in the region and its sustainability would also create more jobs and improve the nutritional needs of the populace.
The statement appealed to the PfFJs secretariat to collaborate effectively with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to improve on modalities for the implementation of the programme to ensure its sustainability in the interest of the nation.
It observed that successive governments had over the year’s implemented policies and programmes aimed at achieving specific results which most at times targeted the poor and marginalised groups.
But, noted that, the PfFJs programme could be one vehicle that would help “persons with disabilities to climb out of poverty”, it was unfortunate the disabled already engaged in agricultural activities had to compete with the abled people for their inclusion in the programme.
“This serves as a disincentive for persons with disability to fully participate in the programme”, a situation the statement explained, had pushed the GSPD in the region to implement advocacy project to promote agri-business among people with disabilities in the region.
With funding from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC), the project aimed at securing a quota in the planting for food and jobs especially for persons with disability to cut down the competition between able persons and disabled persons in the region.
The statement explained that through research, the GSPD had identified several challenges that impede holistic inclusion of PWDs in accessing and benefiting from the PfFJs programme.
“The PfFJs had chalked some successes since its start and is promising to be a turnaround for persons with disabilities offering limitless opportunities”, it said, but mentioned poor publicity and total neglect of the PWDs as a daunting challenge which needed to be addressed.
It said PWDs ought to be given preferential treatment in the implementation of the programme to enable them to participate fully and alleviate their plight.
Inadequate consultation with the PWDs, the statement said, remained another challenged, “we PWDs and other marginalized groups were not consulted adequately in the formulation of the programme”.
The statement also called for effective monitoring and supervision of the programme to achieve desirable outcomes.
GNA
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