A scathing report from Ghana’s Parliamentary Caucus on Persons with Disabilities has exposed systemic abuses and financial mismanagement of the Disability Fund by several Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country.
The report, issued by Caucus Chairman Dr. Clement Abas Apaak following an intensive two-day stakeholder review workshop, accuses local government administrators of routinely delaying payments, failing to track beneficiaries, and illegally siphoning funds meant for vulnerable citizens to cover unrelated assembly costs.
Under the rules governing the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), five percent of every MMDA’s allocation is strictly set aside to empower Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The fund is designed to offer critical support, including medical care, vocational training, school fees, assistive devices, and startup capital for small businesses.
However, the Caucus found that many district chief executives and assembly directors treat these dedicated resources as flexible administrative slush funds.
“It was brought to the fore that some district assemblies continue to use moneys from the Disability Fund for other purposes contrary to its intended purpose,” Dr. Apaak revealed in the committee’s findings.
The Caucus pointed out that these financial diversions are exacerbated by a complete failure at the local level to maintain basic records, making it difficult to verify who actually receives support.
“Most MMDAs have failed to regularly update and maintain disability registers as required under the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715),” the report stated, warning that “this lack of accurate data severely compromises effective planning, beneficiary identification, and resource allocation.”
Highlighting a widespread lack of transparency, the lawmakers cautioned that without immediate intervention, the fund’s primary mission to foster economic independence among PWDs will be completely undermined.
“Weak monitoring and accountability mechanisms in some assemblies make it nearly impossible to assess the real impact of the fund or ensure that public resources are reaching those who need them most,” Dr. Apaak noted.
To stem the abuse, the parliamentary group is demanding the immediate rollout of unified operational guidelines across all MMDAs, mandatory periodic audits, and strict sanctions for assembly officials who divert funds set aside for citizens living with disabilities.
