Fund not earmarked for individuals - Nicol

Thursday, November 6, 2008 (Page 54)

THE Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Mr Joshua Magnus Nicol, has stated that two per cent of the Common Fund earmarked for persons with disabilities is not for individual use.
He said reports from the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies indicated that individuals were demanding the release of the fund and stressed that the fund was "allocated for groups and not individuals who suffer from disabilities".
According to him, the law governing the fund entrusted his outfit to release the amount due persons with disabilities to district assemblies for onward release to the Ghana Federation of the Disabled after the latter had presented a proposal on projects earmarked for its members.
He said without any proposal, the assemblies could not release money to the federation.
Reacting to concerns of some disabled persons on the release of the funds, Mr Nicol told the Daily Graphic that he had not received any official complaint from members of the federation.
He said he only got to know through the media that the federation was having problems with some district assemblies on the release of funds.
He, therefore, stated that his doors were open for discussions with members of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled for solution to their challenges.
Mr Nicol explained that his outfit, representatives from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ghana Federation of the Disabled and the Institute of Local Government Studies met and discussed how the federation could access the funds from the districts.
He said it was agreed at the meeting that the federation would work with districts in organising persons with disabilities into groups to access funds allocated to districts.
He further explained that it was also suggested to the federation to appoint three representative to work with the Social Services Committees in each district to champion their interests.
Mr Nicol said at the meeting, it was also agreed that the groups should submit their proposals to the district assemblies through the Social Services Committees for action.
He said, "As at now, I cannot tell whether or not they have followed our suggestions. I only hear of their complaints through the media," adding that "no one has officially sent any complaint to my outfit for action".
Mr Nicol further stated that the federation should get in touch with his outfit for immediate action, if its members had followed the laid down guidelines but were still facing problems.
He commended persons with disabilities at Oda for forming groups to benefit from the fund, which is aimed at improving their livelihoods.
He disclosed that the third quarter Common Fund was yet to be released to the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies in the country.
According to him, there had been an impressive improvement in sanitation at the various districts since the DACF adopted the sanitation component of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).