By Emelia B. Addae
Tamale (N/R) Oct. 12, GNA – The Ghana Alliance for Mental Health and Development has called for a five per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities in local government staffing to promote inclusion and improve their access to decent work and livelihoods.
The Alliance also urged the government to strengthen mental health financing, eliminate stigma and discrimination against persons with disabilities, and ensure their meaningful participation in decisions affecting their lives.
The call was contained in a press release signed by Dr Peter Badimak Yaro, Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana and National Convenor, on behalf of the Alliance, and copied to the Ghana News Agency.
The Alliance observed the annual World Mental Health Day that occurs every October 10.
It was under the theme: “Lived Experiences Heard, Real Voices, Real Change.”
Dr Yaro called on the government, local authorities, development partners, civil society organisations and the private sector to translate policy commitments into concrete action to improve the welfare of persons with disabilities and those with lived experience of mental health conditions.
The Alliance made the recommendations following a two-day workshop held in Tamale from October 8 to 9, 2026, jointly organised and funded by ADD International and BasicNeeds-Ghana to discuss findings from a two-country research project on disability inclusion activism.
On employment and livelihoods, the Alliance called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure the effective implementation of the five per cent District Assemblies Common Fund allocation for skills development and income-generating activities for persons with physical, mental and psychosocial disabilities.
It also urged corporate organisations and private businesses to increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, particularly young people and women, through the full implementation of the Labour Law and Disability Law.
On mental health financing, the Alliance commended the government for including four mental health conditions under the National Health Insurance Scheme but called for the Mental Health Fund to be operationalised and adequately resourced through domestic resource mobilisation.
It said sustainable financing was necessary to support the full implementation of the Mental Health Law and improve access to quality mental health services.
The Alliance further urged individuals, families, traditional authorities, religious leaders, community influencers and institutions to work together to eliminate stigma, prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination against persons with disabilities.
It stressed that persons with disabilities and those with lived experience of mental health conditions must be included as key decision-makers in the design and implementation of programmes and services intended to support them.
The Alliance also called on the media to use respectful language, protect the dignity and privacy of persons with lived experience of mental health conditions, and promote responsible, rights-based reporting instead of sensationalism.
It recommended partnerships between the media, civil society organisations and the creative industry could support documentaries, short films and public education campaigns to challenge stigma and hold institutions accountable for their commitments.
The Alliance called on the Ministry of Finance, the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund and MMDAs to strengthen transparency in disability-related funding, while national planning and employment agencies were urged to integrate disability and mental health inclusion into development programmes.
Development partners, foundations and private businesses were also encouraged to invest inclusive employment, community-based mental health services, legal accountability, and sustained anti-stigma campaigns.
Dr Yaro said “We cannot continue to celebrate commitments while people remain excluded from jobs, essential services and decisions that affect their lives. Inclusion must be reflected in budgets, employment opportunities, accessible services, and measurable results.”
He reiterated that persons with disabilities and those with lived experience of mental health conditions must not merely be consulted but must meaningfully influence policies, programmes and resources intended to support them.
He called on all stakeholders to turn commitments into action to build a society where mental health was valued, human rights were protected, and no one was left behind because of disability or a mental health condition.
The Ghana Alliance for Mental Health and Development is a national network of more than 128 civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and individuals with physical and mental disabilities engaged in mental health advocacy in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by D. I . Laary/Kenneh Odeng Adade
Reporter: Emelia B. Addae
Email: [email protected]