Kufuor Advocates For A More Inclusive Society For Persons Living With Disability

• John Agyekum Kufuor, Ghana's former president, has called for a more inclusive society for persons living with disabilities
• He said he would not have imagined that he would need a wheelchair to move around if he had been told a decade ago
• He has called for a concerted effort to make sure that the Ghanaian society is more inclusive and accepting of PWDs

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has advocated for a more inclusive society for persons living with disabilities.

He explained that anyone, regardless of their wealth, educational qualification or class, can be affected by a disability.

He said this at the inaugural Disability Conversation hosted by the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation.

The former president, using his situation as an example, stated that he could have never imagined a decade ago that he would be a wheelchair user.

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“Look at me today,” Kufuor said.

“I’m in a wheelchair, and I cannot walk, and I need about four, five, six hefty men to be pushing me around like a baby,” he added.

He said there was a need for greater acceptance and integration of people with disabilities into Ghana’s society.

He stated that it is essential to create a society that embraces diversity and tolerates all individuals despite their differences.

“We cannot afford to leave any segment of our society behind,” Kufuor added.

John Agyekum Kufuor called for the passage of a Disability Act to help develop a society where those with disabilities feel safe, valued, and protected.

Boakye Agyarko makes case for PWD inclusion

Boakye Agyarko, a former energy minister, also suggested that public facilities that are not PWD-friendly should not be certified.

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He said all public facilities must be accessible to persons with disabilities, and those without should be upgraded to meet the requirements.

He said embracing a PWD-friendly approach to public facilities will help the country plan better for its current and future needs.

“We need to recognize that disability is a universal condition stemming from the fall of Adam,” he said.

Bawumia promises PLWDs free tertiary education

YEN.com.gh reported that the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, says that if elected president, people living with disabilities who make it to the university will be provided with free tertiary education.

He noted that this is part of his educational policy to improve access to tertiary education for PWDs in Ghana.

Speaking to clergy members in the Western North Region as part of his ongoing nationwide campaign, he stated that his government would allocate some funds to the Scholarship Secretariat and GET Fund, which is dedicated solely to funding the tertiary education of persons with disabilities.

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Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh