Reserving 5% employment slot for PWDs will put 3 million people in jobs – Sosu

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina in the Greater Accra region, Francis-Xavier Sosu, is pushing for a bill to be passed into law to help guarantee five per-cent employment slots for all Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) into various public and private organisations in the country.

He said persons with disabilities continue to suffer discrimination despite many anti-discriminatory laws enacted to protect them.

This development, the MP noted, informed his decision to table a Private Member’s Bill provision of minimum percentage of employment of Persons with Disabilities Bill in Parliament since September 5, 2022.

Mr Sosu said this when he addressed the media in Accra on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

He said the bill, which is currently in the drafting stage in Parliament, when enacted into law, will help provide for compulsory employment of PWDs in all public and private institutions and also provide for related matters. 

Statistics

The Madina legislator citing statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), indicated that 15 per cent of the world’s population, representing some one billion people, suffer one form of disability. Out of this number, he noted, 80 per cent are found in developing countries, including Ghana. 

In Ghana, he mentioned, data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) shows that eight per cent of Ghana’s population, representing 2.4million persons have some form of disability as compared to the three per cent in 2010. 

For Mr Sosu, society does not seem to consider PWDs as productive people, saying “It is sad to note that with this number and in a democratic country such as ours which prides itself with respect for the fundamental human rights of persons, no strategy or laws exist to ensure the employment of PWDs despite their academic heights, success or qualifications.”

He addition, he said, “In simple terms, our society does not seem to consider PWDs as productive components of mainstream society. It is time to change this narrative.”

No commitment from Government

The Madina MP also raised concerns about the lack of commitment on the part of the President to support private member’s bill.

“My point is that if a citizen issued a private member’s bill, the central government must be interested but the government seems not to be interested until the bill would be passed into the constitutional law. …l personally think that it is not the best way the government must go. And we don’t want that complain anymore in this democratic country.

“So, the government must be interested or must show interest in the employment of PWDs in Ghana. That is why l am seriously advocating for advocating five per cent compulsory job for three million Ghanaians with disabilities in all public and private institution in Ghana,” he explained.

Mr Sosu was of the view that the two per cent share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund meant for PWDs ought to be regularly reassessed and readjusted, considering the country’s inflation to ensure that PWDs are not discriminated against.