President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday said his government was committed to providing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills to people with disabilities so as to contribute their quota to national development.

He said under the senior high school computerized project, some of the graduates would be integrated into the mainstream as ICT instructors or trainers while others would be maintained to repair broken down computers.

President Mahama said this at the maiden graduation ceremony of Persons with Disability ICT Project and distribution of Better Ghana laptops at the Accra International Conference Centre under the auspices of rlg Communications Limited.

He said it was not worth enrolling people with disability and the youth in schools without providing them employable skills to fit well into the world of work and ICT.

He said persons with disability should no longer associate themselves with tokenism and pettiness that sought to undermine their dignity, respect and self-esteem.

President Mahama said government had repositioned itself to preparing persons with disability and students across the educational divide with skills in ICT as part of government’s commitment to building a Better Ghana through technology and innovation.

He disclosed that in phase one of the project 60,000 laptops have been distributed to teachers and students in basic and senior high schools, nursing training colleges, colleges of education, polytechnics and universities to promote teaching and learning in ICT and research.

President Mahama added that while in phase two additional 100,000 would be distributed to basic and second cycle schools as well as tertiary institutions, 400, 000 would be circulated in the next four years.

He appealed to Ghanaians, especially the youth and other stakeholders, to work cordially with the security agencies to have successful elections to make Ghana the model of Africa.

Mr Roland Agambire, Chief Executive Officer of rlg Communications Limited, explained that rlg, in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, launched the Persons with Disability ICT Project aimed at equipping them with ICT skills for the contemporary world.

Mr Agambire challenged the youth to follow their dreams, saying: “dream and you will succeed; the only disability in life is bad attitude.”

Mr Max Vardon, Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disability, pointed out social injustice, discrimination, poverty, hostility, lack of access to healthcare and education as some challenges facing people with disability in Ghana.

He expressed disappointment that persons with disability had been robbed of self-esteem, respect and dignity after 55 years of independence, and demanded their integration in the exigency of economic progress of Ghana.

2,400 out of 5,000 graduates, being the first group of trainees of rlg Institute of Technology, from Greater Accra, Eastern, Western, Central and Volta regions representing the southern sector, were presented with certificates and a set of tools to set up their own ICT hardware repair shops.