Accra, Oct. 1, GNA - HelpAge Ghana on Monday feted about 300 older citizens as part of activities to mark this year's International Day for Older Persons.

This year's celebration, which is on the theme: "Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities of Ageing in Ghana@50" was to entertain the aged and also draw government's attention to their plight. Nana Akomea, Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment, said as a demonstration of government's commitment to the aged, it had declared July 1 every year as Senior Citizens Day and the president hosts a luncheon for them.

He said a National Social Protection Strategy with aspects on ageing had been developed and submitted to Cabinet for consideration. Nana Akomea said free medical care for older persons and livelihood empowerment against poverty were some interventions aimed at solving the problems associated with old age. He said statistics indicated that the population of older persons had increased globally.

"What this means is that as a country we should, within our capabilities, commit resources, time and attention to address the needs of the older persons."

Nana Akomea said the Ministry together with other stakeholders had drafted a National Policy on Ageing to help meet the needs of older persons in society. The law would commit government and families to play their expected roles in caring for the aged. He said government alone could not address the concerns of the aged and called on civil society to explore avenues to raise funds to supplement its efforts. Ms Doris Mawuse Agblobitse, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization Officer, United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), said the UNFPA would liaise with HelpAge Ghana to encourage government to enact anti-discriminatory legislation and encourage communities to support issues relating to the aged.

She called on Ghanaians to join hands to build a society that had the interest of the aged at heart, saying, "There are great potentials in the elderly that need to be tapped for development." Mr Edward Ameyibor, Vice President of HelpAge, Ghana, noted that older persons were gradually becoming a force to reckon with in the country and therefore ageing should be treated as an issue which required a more serious attention.

He mentioned poverty, inadequate social security income, rights abuse and inadequate healthcare as some of the problems that had besieged the aged.

He appealed to the government to speed up work on the policy relating to the aged in the country.