News Guide Africa

Tag: and District Assemblies (MMDAs)

  • Parliamentary Caucus Calls Out MMDAs Over Misuse of Disability Funds

    Parliamentary Caucus Calls Out MMDAs Over Misuse of Disability Funds

    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.

     

  • Our actions, our future: Central Region rallies for massive post-flood national cleaning campaign

    Our actions, our future: Central Region rallies for massive post-flood national cleaning campaign

    By Staff Reporter

    Following recent devastating floods that submerged parts of the country, residents across the Central Region are mobilizing for a massive two-day sanitation drive. The initiative, part of the National General Cleaning Exercise scheduled for July 10 and 11, aims to restore local communities, clear vital waterways, and prevent future environmental disasters.

     

    ​In a powerful call to action, Comrade Joseph Mensah Abakah, popularly known as “Commander 1,” an aspiring Central Regional Organiser, urged all citizens to take personal ownership of their environments. He emphasized that the exercise is crucial to rebuilding the region’s resilience in the wake of seasonal floods.

     

    ​”Our actions, our future: cleaning Ghana after the floods,” Abakah declared in an official statement. “I respectfully urge every resident of the Central Region to join our Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), traditional authorities, community leaders, institutions, and volunteer groups in this important national assignment.”

     

    ​A collective duty to prevent disaster

    ​The two-day exercise focuses heavily on desilting choked gutters, clearing blocked drainage systems, and removing debris from major roadways factors that experts say drastically worsened recent flood levels across the region.

    ​Security agencies, local government officials, and community youth groups have already pledged their support to ensure a high turnout. Organizers stress that the cleanup is not just about aesthetics, but about public health and preservation.

     

    ​”It is a collective duty to restore our communities, protect lives, and safeguard the future,” Abakah noted, highlighting the practical benefits of the cleanup. “Every drain desilted and every roadway cleared strengthens our resilience against future floods.”

     

    ​Moving beyond government reliance

    ​Local traders and residents in Cape Coast and surrounding districts have expressed readiness to participate, acknowledging that past negligence in waste disposal has contributed heavily to perennial flooding.

    ​Abakah challenged residents to shift their mindset from relying solely on state interventions to embracing personal civil responsibility.

     

    ​”Let us approach this exercise with the same unity that has always defined our people,” Abakah urged. “Clean communities are not created by government alone; they are built by responsible citizens who understand that public welfare begins with personal commitment.”

     

    ​The exercise will commence early morning on both Friday and Saturday, with local assemblies providing logistics such as waste trucks, shovels, and protective gear to volunteer groups across all districts in the Central Region.