Minority receives petition from Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has received a petition from the Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities outlining their concerns over unemployment and enforcement of disability employment laws.

The petition was received on behalf of the Minority by the Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei, and presented by the Convener of the Coalition, Mr. Gilbert Boateng Agyare.

The Coalition made three key demands:

1. Immediate recruitment into the public service of qualified unemployed graduates on the Coalition’s verified list;

2. Strict enforcement of the employment quota for persons with disability in public sector recruitment; and

3. Introduction of incentives for private sector employers who engage qualified persons with disability.

Reacting to the petition, the Minority described the concerns as legitimate and firmly grounded in law, citing Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution which guarantees protection for persons with disabilities against exploitation and discrimination and mandates Parliament to enact laws to enforce those rights.

The Caucus noted that Parliament fulfilled that mandate through the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), which obliges the State, through public employment centres, to assist persons with disability into work and grants tax rebates and special incentives to public and private employers who engage them.

The Minority further cited Article 17 of the Constitution, which allows Parliament to pursue affirmative measures to redress social and economic imbalances, saying the Coalition’s demands invite Parliament to strengthen those provisions.

The Minority reaffirmed its commitment to championing policies that give effect to constitutional and statutory guarantees, close the gap between the law as written and the law as experienced, and create meaningful pathways for persons with disabilities to contribute to national development.

It commended the Coalition for pursuing its concerns through appropriate parliamentary channels and assured them that the petition will receive the needed attention as Parliament works towards a Ghana where ability, competence and determination, not disability, defines access to opportunity.