Ministry to create jobs for persons with disabilities to curb begging on streets
The government will create employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to curb begging on the streets across the country, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba has said.
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She said, the ministry would work towards the implementation of equal employment opportunity policies and advocate for the appointment of PWDs into public offices.
“I am aware of the difficulties persons with disability experience in their quest to get employment, I will ensure the ministry creates employment for you as we equalise job opportunity for the PWD,” she said at a national dialogue organised by the ministry for PWDs last Thursday in Accra.
Ms Djaba noted that generally, PWDs were marginalised in society and even the educated among them struggled to secure decent jobs even when they were qualified.
Vocational Training
She emphasised the ministry’s resolve to ensure that persons with disability earned a decent living so they could end their daily hustle on the streets.
To empower PWDs to earn a living, she said the Ministry would identify various vocational skills training and would provide the necessary logistics for their use.
Ms Djaba further said the ministry was working hard to ensure more effective appreciation and inclusion of disability issues in national discourse.
“We believe this will eliminate stigma and enhance effective integration of persons with disability into the society.” She said
Job quota
The minister appealed to private institutions to reserve a quota of jobs that could be filled by the PWDs and made them available for the upcoming career fair which would come on in later in March this year.
A PWD, Mr Alexlander William, who is also an employee of the University of Ghana, pointed out that, the previous government collected all the data on PWDs to factor them in employment opportunities but it never came to fruition.
He appealed to the minister to enforce the policy to enable them to get jobs.
He also called on the government to pay more attention to the legislative instruments that would strengthen the effective implementation of policies to ensure the well being and employment right of PWDs in Ghana.