By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Sept. 3, GNA — The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament has backed the Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities, describing their demands for jobs as legitimate and firmly grounded in law.
In a statement signed by Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday, the Caucus disclosed that it had received a petition from the Coalition.
It said the petition, which was received on behalf of the Caucus by Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa, was presented by the Coalition’s Convenor, Mr Gilbert Boateng Agyare.
According to the statement, the petition sets out three key demands: the immediate recruitment into the public service of qualified unemployed graduates on the Coalition’s verified list; strict enforcement of the employment quota for persons with disabilities in public sector recruitment; and the introduction of incentives for private sector employers who engage qualified persons with disabilities.
The statement said, “The concerns are legitimate and grounded in Article 29 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees disabled persons protection from exploitation and discrimination and mandates Parliament to enact the necessary laws to enforce those rights.”
It said Parliament answered that mandate through the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715), which obliges the State, through public employment centers, to assist persons with disabilities into work and grants tax rebates and special incentives to private and public employers who engage them.
“Article 17 of the Constitution, it added, further permits Parliament to pursue affirmative measures that redress social and economic imbalance, which is precisely what the Coalition’s demands invite Parliament to strengthen.
“The Minority reaffirms its commitment to championing policies that give real effect to these 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 fully to national development,” the statement said.
It commended the Coalition for pursuing its concerns through the appropriate parliamentary channels and assured that the petition will receive the attention it deserves as Parliament works towards “a Ghana where ability, competence, and determination, not disability, define one’s access to opportunity.”
GNA
Edited Kenneth Odeng Adade
Sept 3 2026
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Email: [email protected]