"The Persons with Disability Fund is Government money. Hence, it cannot be misappropriated." This is the summary of the message to persons with disability who were selected by the Sefwi-Wiawso Municipal Assembly Disability Fund Management Committee to receive support on the 18th January 2023 at the Municipal Assembly Hall. Representing the Municipal Chief Executive who was out on other official assignments, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Joseph K. Baah-Darkoh made it known how transparent the processes of selecting were. In explaining the process of selection, he said, "The applications are received from your leadership at the community level. When it comes here, we wish everyone benefits, but the amount of money is limited, so a lot of means testing is done. Some of you saw our officers visiting you at your homes and workplaces. Others were called on the phones and engaged in friendly chats. This was done to screen the applications. When the Disability Fund Management Committee meets, they screen the applications again and come out with the final list. This is a means to make sure the money is effectively used to affect the beneficiary." He said this was not the end and that he will send a monitoring team to evaluate their use of the money and that any misapplication could end up putting the beneficiary in trouble, because it is Government money.
The Municipal Social Welfare and Community Development Officer, Mr. Godfred Baah-Dwase mentioned that it was very important to keep to what the applied to use the money for. "Using the money for what you applied for means you have been truthful to the government, and it motivates the government to send more or even increase the percentage of the Common Fund that comes to you. This is because the money is used for what it is intended and you, in turn, through the taxes you will pay to the Municipal Assembly and Government, when your businesses hopefully expand, will be your quota of giving back to the government what it has given you."
In all, thirty beneficiaries were selected and supported in areas of health, education, income generation and economic inclusion, and apprenticeship training.
Present at the ceremony were the Chairman of the Social Services Sub-committee, Hon. Kwaku Asante Afful, President of the local Ghana Federation of the Disabled, Mr. Isaac Nkuah and Chairman of the Ghana Blind Union, Mr. Kofi Amoah.
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