Policy think tank, Strategic Thinkers Network-Africa, STRANEK-Africa, has called on political parties to prioritize issues affecting Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in their 2020 manifestos.
“STRANEK-Africa requests all participating political parties in Ghana to prioritize issues of PWDs by devoting a chapter in their 2020 manifestos to addressing the challenges facing PWDs in Ghana,” STRANEK said in a statement.
The statement signed by the Executive Director of the think tank, Nii Tettey Tetteh, explained that “this will help Ghanaians identify themselves with the PWD policy directions of the various political parties in Ghana, particularly the NDC and NPP as we approach the 2020 elections.”
“This will also, become a yardstick for assessing government’s commitment on issues of PWDs as well as holding government accountable by Civil Society Organisations and Ghanaians. It is the hope of STRANEK-Africa that these policies would not be one of window dressing but actionable policies that will inure to the wellbeing of PWDs in Ghana,” the statement noted.
As a point of measure, STRANEK-Africa states that it will monitor the 2020 manifestos of all political parties in Ghana, particularly the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party to measure the extent to which they prioritize the PWD Community in Ghana.
“Following this, we will conduct a mid-year assessment on the extent to which political parties prioritize PWD issues and find the best possible platforms to inform the PWD Community in Ghana to help them make informed decisions when voting since we believe they deserve the best,” the statement further noted.
Among other demands, STRANEK-Africa also recommends the introduction of a government-imposed PWD hiring quota on both public and private organisations in Ghana.
“This recommendation is informed by best practices globally. The goal of this new regulation was to increase the rate of employment for PWDs while establishing a concrete step and accountability mechanism for the employability of PWDS,” it noted.
The think tank further called on government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) to propose and submit a bill to Parliament seeking quota restriction on both public and private organizations in Ghana to improve PWD’s employment.
“This will also serve as a concrete and verifiable yardstick for monitoring and measuring compliance to show the progress of government’s effort at PWDs inclusiveness in the Ghanaian economy,” it stated.