The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has said some 272 graduates with disabilities are being formalised into the Ghana Education Service (GES) as part of efforts to promote inclusive employment and create sustainable opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Mrs Lartey said the initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts to ensure that disability inclusion translates into practical opportunities for persons with disabilities.

“Working with ICTES, 272 persons with disabilities graduates are being formalised into the Ghana Education Service, creating jobs for persons with disabilities,” she said.

Speaking at Government Accountability Series on September 16, the Minister said the move was among several interventions being implemented to strengthen support for persons with disabilities and improve their participation in national development.

She also disclosed that 19,760 persons with disabilities have benefited from the Disability Common Fund across 208 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

According to her, government is also pursuing legal reforms to strengthen the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

“On disability, Cabinet has approved the amendment of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2006 to align it with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,” she said.

Mrs Lartey described the proposed amendment as a long-awaited reform, saying it would further strengthen Ghana’s framework for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.

She added that the Ministry had also conducted sensitisation programmes on disability-inclusive disaster risk management across 11 regions.

The interventions, she said, formed part of government’s broader commitment to protecting vulnerable and excluded persons while ensuring that persons with disabilities have greater access to employment, education, technology and social protection.

Mrs Lartey further announced that ICT equipment had been procured for seven special schools through the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation.

The equipment includes desktop computers, laptops, accessible software, Braille displays and embossed graphic tablets.

She said installation had been completed in three of the schools, with work ongoing at the remaining four.

“These are the first experiences for students who have never had hands-on access to this kind of technology,” the Minister said.