The New Patriotic Party has officially launched a secretariat for Persons with Disabilities. It is the first of its kind since the formation of the party in 1992.
The establishment of the secretariat was facilitated, coordinated and resourced by the International Republican Institute (IRI).
In his statement, the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Stephen Ayesu Ntim, expressed apreciations and commendation to President Akufo-Addo for his whole-hearted support towards the creation of the PWDs national secretariat.
The National Chairman also, thanked the 2nd national vice chairperson, Madam Rita Talata Asobayire and her committee likewise, the beneficiary PWDs, for their continues advocacy and participation in the creation of the secretariat.
“As national chairman, I pledge to work closely with the secretariat in all things including providing resources and other related support in order to realize the objective for its establishment”.
He averred that, following the launch, national coordinators would be appointed to administer the secretariat akin to the structure of the party. “The national party will provide them with the necessary support to put in place all the administrative systems to ensure a smooth take off”.
Mr. Ntim revealed that, the NPP is stronger with the establishment of PWDs secretariat to give full meaning to its inclusive DNA. “As a Democratic Party, we believe that this secretariat will empower and amplify the voices of all its members, especially persons living with disabilities”.
On December 21, 2023, the International Republican Institute (IRI) partnered the office of the 2nd Vice Chairperson, Mrs. Rita Talata Asobayire, to conduct a one-day workshop on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the AH Hotel and Conference in Accra.
The workshop was organized to review the level of inclusion of persons with disabilities in the party and develop recommendations to increase their representation in the party leadership structures and processes.
The workshop was attended by 50 participants comprising the 2nd Vice Chairman, Mrs. Rita Talata Asobayire and members of the NPP Welfare Committee, National Treasurer, Dr. Charles Dwamena, former NPP Chairman, Peter Mac Manu, Minister of the Oti Region, Dr. Joshua Makubu, and Executive Director of the Ghana Federation of Disabilities Organization (GFDO), Rita Kusi. Other participants at the workshop were persons with disability members of the NPP drawn from each of the 16 regions.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) is implementing a four-years Political Accountability Activity (POLA) in Ghana with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID
