Ghana on track to pass a new disability law — NCPD

Ms Esther Akua Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of the National Council on Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), has said Ghana is on track to pass the Persons with Disabilities Re-enactment and its accompanying Legislative Instrument by 2023.

"Act 715 in its current form manifests fundamental gaps that do not conform to the obligations stipulated under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," she said.

For instance, she said: "The interpretation under Section 59 provides a definition of disability which is based on the medical model and excludes other categories of persons with disabilities."

However, Ms Gyamfi stated that the reformed law fills these gaps and addresses 70 of the issues raised in the 2022 shadow report on Ghana’s mental health situation, which was submitted on July 14th to the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

During a speech to a national dissemination and validation meeting on the evaluation of Ghana's performance in respect of human rights in the Fourth Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, she said, "The government's commitment to pass the re-enactment by 2023 as stated in the National Act is great news."

A coalition of nongovernmental organisations working in mental health, led by MindFreedom Ghana, prepared the nation's alternative following a national consultation with stakeholders on the human rights situation of people with mental health and psychosocial conditions.

Ms Gyamfi applauded the report when she addressed stakeholders earlier this month, stating that it reaffirmed the "universality, indivisibility, interdependence, and interconnectedness of all human rights and fundamental freedoms," as well as the requirement that people with disabilities be able to enjoy them fully and without discrimination.

"The report also recognises that disability is an evolving concept and that disability results from the interaction of people with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that prevent their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others," she added.

The shadow report aims to raise awareness of the importance of mainstreaming disability issues in Ghana as an integral part of relevant sustainable development strategies, as outlined in the country's new National Development Policy Framework 2022–2025.

Mr. Dan Taylor, Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, stated during the session that MindFreedom Ghana organised nationwide consultations that facilitated national dialogues aimed at promoting the human rights conditions of people with psychological disabilities with funding from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on the submission of the report, he said the document had been submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the Commissioner as scheduled on July 14th, 2022, and thanked individuals and organisations for their contributions and support in championing the course of mental health in Ghana.