Mr. Rockson Bukari, Upper East Regional Minster
The Ghana Federation of the Disability Organisation (GFD) has called on the Government to, as a matter of urgency; renovate the rehabilitation centre in Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional capital.
The centre which used to provide skills training programme for Persons with Disabilities from all the districts in the region and beyond have been closed down by the Government for the past eight years due to funding challenges.
The dilapidated structure has its roofing, floor and the lighting system in bad shape.
The Regional President of the GFD, Mr David Ania, who made the call, noted that about 70 per cent of their members who are working now were trained by the centre in the areas of shoe making, hairdressing, tailoring, basket and leather weaving among others.
The Regional President, who indicated that the closure of the training centre had hampered the skills training of PWDs, said several appeals to the Gender Ministry and the Government to renovate the centre had fallen on deaf ears.
He stated that several contacts made by his outfit to the Regional Directorate of Social Welfare and Community Development which is mandated to oversee the development of the place had also not yielded any result.
When the Ghanaian Times contacted the officials of the Regional Directorate of Social Welfare and Community Development, they attributed the closure of the training centre to lack of funding.
They also indicated that non-governmental organisations used to complement the efforts of the government in running the centre but had since withdrawn hence the closure of the facility.
The officials from the Social Welfare and Community Development also indicated that they were asked to submit estimates to the Public Works Department for the renovation of the centre which it did but the facility had not since received any attention.
The Regional President, who stated that the rest of the rehabilitation centres in the other regions were operational, regretted that was that Government still pay those who were recruited to teach at the centre, yet the place had been closed down.
Whiles appealing to the Government to renovate the centre, the Regional President also appealed to corporate organisations to come to the aid of the centre.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA
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