Positive Impact Promotes African Disability Protocol in Grassroots Campaign  

The Disability and Social Development Advocacy Africa (DaSDA Africa), also known as Positive Impact, has launched a year-long advocacy project aimed at promoting the African Disability Protocol and championing the rights of women with disabilities.  

The initiative, titled “Advocacy and Sensitisation Exercise to Promote the African Disability Protocol: The Rights and Freedoms of Women with Disability,” is being funded by ADD International through the Disability Justice Fund for Women.  

Speaking at the launch in Anyinam, Atiwa East District, Mr. Isaac Wadi, founder of DaSDA Africa, said the project seeks to empower persons with disabilities through advocacy, inclusion, and social development to help create a more accessible and equitable Africa.  

He emphasized that the organisation advocates for policy reforms that promote disability rights and enable women with disabilities to assert their place in society.  

“Through this initiative, we aim to foster partnerships and collaborations with district assemblies, institutions, and other organisations,” Mr. Wadi said.  

He also called on the government to ratify the African Disability Protocol, noting that only 15 African countries have done so to date.  

Rev. Mrs. Perpetual Essel-Cobbah, Minister in Charge of the Methodist Church, Anyinam, who co-launched the project, decried the persistent discrimination faced by persons with physical disabilities in Ghana. She urged the public to reject such stigma and embrace inclusivity.  

Inspector Eunice Amuzu of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Atiwa East highlighted the police’s commitment to serving all citizens, including persons with disabilities.  

Referencing Ghana’s Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) and its ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, she said efforts are underway to integrate disability studies into police training, ensure accessible services, and uphold the dignity of persons with disabilities.  

She said the project aligns with broader multi-sectoral efforts to promote inclusion, reduce discrimination, and empower persons with disabilities through sensitisation, policy enforcement, and community engagement.  

“The initiative will reinforce the Police’s role as an inclusive institution dedicated to the rights and safety of all citizens,” Ms. Amuzu stated.  

The event was attended by departmental heads of the Atiwa East District Assembly, religious and traditional leaders, as well as the chairman and members of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled in the district.  

Source: GNA