1st Ghana Disability Achievers Awards Launched

The Talented Multimedia Company, an NGO has launched its maiden Ghana Disability Achievers Award, to recognise the hard work of persons with disability in the country.

The ceremony sponsored by Abodonkwa Herbal and the Zone Restaurant and Pub was to empower persons with disability to overcome their handicaps and contribute meaningfully to the development of the country.

Elder Eric Akoto, Chief Executive Officer of Talented Multimedia Company said the vision is to award persons with disability for their contributions to socio-economic development.

He noted that disabled persons in Africa constitute a marginalised group who lack access to many social services to improve their lives and are regarded as unproductive and incapable of contributing positively to the society.

Elder Akoto said the award would demystify that thinking and highlight and appreciate their useful contributions to the society since most of them are self-employed and engaged in productive venture which is worth celebrating.

He said the award would help minimise poverty among all persons with disabilities especially those outside the formal sector of employment, enhance their social image through dignified labour and support their income generating activities as means of economic empowerment.

“The award would build their capacity to enable them advocate and assert their rights and undertake awareness raising and sensitisation on disability issues, have access to technical aids and other assistive devices and equipment and encouraged them to work hard irrespective of their conditions”, he added.

Elder Akoto said persons with disability above 18 are eligible for nomination and that the public could nominate a maximum of two persons who deserve to be awarded by sending their names, gender, age and location and a brief about the nominee to ghanadisabilityawards@gmail.com.

He urged religious group, ministries, departments and agencies and civil societies to actively be part of the programme.

He called on all organisations and philanthropists to support the project both in cash and kind to empower the disabled in the society.

Mr Nuhu Adams, Awutu Senya East Municipal Chief Executive commended the organisers for such an innovative programme, saying the award would propel persons with disability to unearth their potentials and come out with their best.

“Talents are unique, there are blind people that are lawyers and engage in other professional bodies. The award would prevent stigmatisation and encourage them to stay focus, work hard towards their achievement,” he added.

He said the project would encourage the beggars on the street to learn technical skills for self-employment and engaged in other productive activities for their livelihoods.

“We are all future potential disable persons, because if we are not dead, God has not finished creating us and so it is imperative for all and sundry to support the course of persons with disability in the country.”

He called on all organisations to come on board to support the project to have a better life for the less privileged in the society because “disability is not inability”.