PWDs receive support from Obuasi Municipal Assembly

The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, Elijah Adansi-Bonah, on behalf of the government has presented items ranging from deep freezers, knitting machines, shoe grinders and kits, industrial sewing machines as well as popcorn machines to 30 persons with disabilities in the Obuasi Municipality.

Five (5) other people were given educational and medical support.

Briefing the media after the presentation, the MCE said the gesture is from the Assembly's share of the Disability Fund. He advised Persons with Disability to join their various groupings for easy identification.

He said though individuals who are not members of any disability group can benefit from the disability fund, it is important for them to join such groups to enable them to get support from other stakeholders.

He praised previous beneficiaries for their diligence. He said, based on audit reports conducted, beneficiaries have been using the items received for their intended purpose since he assumed office.

Mr. Adansi-Bonah appealed to them to make good use of the items to make them economically independent.

On his part, the President of the Obuasi chapter of the Ghana Federation of Disables, Karim Iddrisu, praised the Municipal Chief Executive for the disbursement. He added his voice to calls for beneficiaries to use the items for their intended purpose in order to sustain their livelihoods.

Mr. Iddrisu appealed to the government and other stakeholders including the media to create a congenial environment for Persons with Disabilities to have a voice.

He said it is only through advocacy that PWDs can contribute meaningfully to national development. He praised Anglogold Ashanti for supporting them to build their Training and Rehabilitation Center.

It would be recalled that this is the fifth time the Assembly has disbursed its share of the Disability Fund to beneficiaries since the MCE assumed office in 2017.

In a related development, Elijah Adansi-Bonah also presented two (2) ovens and flour, sewing machine, hairdryer, and welding machines to the Methodist Church, Obuasi Diocese, and 3 other beneficiaries who have undergone training by the National Board for Small Scale Industries.

The Municipal Director of the NBSSI, Kelvin Ofori-Atta revealed that his office has partnered with Mastercard Foundation to offer apprenticeship training to the youth in Obuasi.

He appealed to residents of Obuasi to take full advantage of the training since it is for free.