The Director of District Social Welfare, Mr. Tia Dokurugu, said the statutory allocation for PWDs from the DACF is channeled to support vulnerable groups. He noted that recent policy adjustments have scaled up allocations to strengthen financial support.

Hon. Samuel Agyapong, the DCE, told Ghanadistricts.com that the fund targets economic empowerment, education, medical needs and assistive devices rather than casual handouts.

Core areas of support include economic livelihoods, education and health. The provision of working tools and startup equipment included horizontal freezers and fufu-pounding machines.

The breakdown was: education, 9 beneficiaries; health, 12; cash, 94; horizontal freezers, 70; and fufu-pounding machines, 30.

The MP, Hon. Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Ntekunu, said the fufu-pounding machines would make it easier for beneficiaries to meet their economic needs, noting that pounding fufu by hand is laborious. “Anything that you see here is based on their request and what they want to use it for,” he added.

He congratulated H.E. John Dramani Mahama for supporting PWDs. According to him, the District Assembly honoured those who made good use of their first-quarter allocation because they are given what they want. That, he said, is why the government increased the Disability Fund from 3 percent to 5 percent to make life easier for PWDs.

Hon. Samuel Agyapong, the DCE, assured PWDs that the Pru East District Assembly would not be selfish in giving them their share of the Common Fund.

He advised and pleaded with beneficiaries not to sell the items but to use them for the purposes for which they requested them. The District Assembly will monitor them frequently, he added.

Some beneficiaries also praised the government and H.E. John Dramani Mahama for remembering them as human beings and for increasing their fund from 3 percent to 5 percent.