By Solomon Gumah
Savelugu (N/R), Aug 07, GNA – The Savelugu Municipal Assembly in the Northern Region has provided livelihood, healthcare, educational and agricultural support to 238 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the first half of 2026.
The beneficiaries received various forms of assistance under the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocation for PwDs following the government’s decision to increase the allocation from three per cent to five per cent.
Mr Alhassan Fuseini, the Municipal Chief Executive for Savelugu, announced this during a visit to the municipality by Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection to monitor the ongoing Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) reassessment and onboarding exercise in the municipality.
He said the Assembly, through the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, supported 136 PwDs in the first quarter of the year and another 102 beneficiaries in the second quarter, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 238.
Mr Fuseini said the municipality currently had more than 1,300 registered PwDs, adding the increase in the DACF allocation had significantly enhanced the Assembly’s capacity to extend assistance to more vulnerable residents.
He mentioned that the support package included deep freezers, sewing machines, wheelchairs, small ruminants, start-up capital, educational assistance, medical support and farming inputs to promote self-reliance among beneficiaries.
He said 44 physically challenged persons received GH¢3,000 each as business start-up or expansion capital while 18 beneficiaries were provided with deep freezers and GH¢1,000 each as seed capital to establish income-generating ventures.
Mr Fuseini said five physically challenged persons also received sewing machines and GH¢1,000 each, while 13 persons living with epilepsy were supported with medication for six months and GH¢2,000 each to help meet their healthcare needs.
He said the Assembly further supported three physically challenged persons with wheelchairs and GH¢2,000 each to establish businesses while another beneficiary with hearing impairment received GH¢3,819 to pay admission fees to pursue further studies.
He added that GH¢11,500 was provided to support some persons in critical health conditions to access treatment at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, while disability associations in the municipality also benefited from financial assistance to undertake sporting and capacity-building activities.
Mr Fuseini said 20 Persons with Disabilities comprising 10 men and 10 women received fertilisers, insecticides and herbicides to support rice and maize cultivation, improve productivity and enhance household incomes.
Dr artey commended the Savelugu Municipal Assembly for its commitment to promoting the welfare of Persons with Disabilities and ensuring that resources allocated for their benefit were used to improve their livelihoods.
She said government remained committed to strengthening social protection programmes to empower vulnerable people through sustainable economic opportunities rather than temporary relief, adding such interventions were critical to reducing poverty and promoting inclusive development.
Dr Lartey urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure transparency, fairness and accountability in the utilisation of the DACF allocation to Persons with Disabilities to maximise its impact on beneficiaries and improve their quality of life.
Dr Lartey earlier paid a courtesy call on the Yoo-Naa Abdulai Yakubu, Paramount Chief of Yoo (Savelugu) Traditional Area at his palace at Savelugu in the municipality to brief him about her visit to the region.
The Yoo-Naa Yakubu called for fairness and transparency in the ongoing LEAP reassessment and onboarding exercise and said the exercise should target the right beneficiaries to enhance the credibility of the programme and ensure that public resources reached the most vulnerable members of society.
GNA
Edited by Eric K Amoh/Benjamin Mensah
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