Districts Assemblies (MMDAs) have been asked to stay clear of the two per cent share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) allocation for Persons with Disability (PWDs).

The continuous misapplication of the Fund by some MMDAs has compounded the economic circumstances of the PWDs, particularly students who depend on the support for payment of school fees, books and other relevant items and therefore the injurious practice must be stopped.

These issues were raised at a news conference in Accra on Thursday by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD).

The press conference was a follow-up to media reports on the gross misapplication of funds allocated to Persons with Disability (PWDs) in some districts in the country. It highlighted challenges associated with the disbursement of the Fund and recommended ways to address them.

In his welcome address, the Executive Director of MFWA, Mr. Sulemana Braimah, reminded the media of its responsibility of championing the cause of the marginalised.

According to Mr. Braimah, the two per cent share of the DACF was just a meager sum compared to allocations to the MMDAs, but they continue to misapply it. He accordingly called on the MMDAs to spare the percentage meant for the PWDs.

He further called on the media to give special attention to the issue of the two per cent share in order to help avert its misappropriation.

The President of the GFD, Mr. Yaw Ofori Debrah, noted the decision by Government to allocate the two per cent of the DACF to PWDs was a laudable one, but it had not been managed properly.

According to Mr. Debrah, the Fund had the potential to catapult PWDs out of abject poverty, empower them economically as well equip them with relevant skills and know- how to enable them to participate effectively in society at all levels.

He indicated that: “These potentials and qualities of the Fund have the cumulative effect of improving the social image of PWDs and boosting their confidence so that they assert their rights in their communities.”

He, however, established that in spite of the enormous prospects the fund holds, its management had been fraught with a lot of challenges.

Some of the challenges he mentioned, included inadequate information on the funds, diversion of the fund, sidelining of representative of PWDs on the District Fund Management Committee (DFMC), misapplication as well as misunderstanding of the composition and function of the DFMC.

To address these challenges, Mr. Debrah recommended, among other things, the adherence to the provisions in the guidelines and the need for GFD to institute a helpline to receive and document complaints from districts, and forward same to the National Council on Persons with Disability and the relevant ministries.