The National Council on Persons with Disability will on Thursday, December 17, host Ghana's first disability inclusion summit in Accra.

The summit is on the theme, “Not all disabilities are visible: building standards for disability-inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 Ghana.“

The National Council on Persons with disability, in a statement, said the Council in collaboration with stakeholders, including; organisations of persons with a disability, civil societies that worked to promote the interest of persons with disability, persons with different categories of disabilities, State Agencies, public and private sectors, was holding the summit to commemorate this year's International Day of Persons with Disability.

The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disability (December 3), was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disability. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disability in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

The Maiden Disability Inclusion Summit seeks to bring together all players in the disability sector to assess critically, the disability inclusion implementation strategies in the country; building on Ghana’s many efforts in the field of disability mainstreaming such as the Mental Health Decree (NRCD 30), the 1992 Constitution, Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560), the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), the Education Act 2008 (Act 778), the National Health Insurance Act 2012 (Act 852), the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in 2012 and submission of initial report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UN CRPD).

The Summit will also discuss the Mental Health Act, 2012 (851), Ghana's pledge under the 2030 Agenda and Ghana’s commitments during the Global Disability Summit in 2018. Additionally, the Summit will afford the actors in the disability sector the opportunity to make an assessment of the workability and effectiveness of their advocacy strategies and approaches for strengthening for the optimization of results.

A total of 150 participants are expected to attend the Maiden Disability Inclusion Summit. It will be hosted by Mrs Cynthia Mamle Morrison, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the guest of honour.

Ms Esther Akua Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of the Council, said the Summit was critical in the humanrights discourse of disability Inclusion.

"It will afford the disability fraternity the opportunity to properly network for effective coordination, share experiences and encourage best practices", she added.