Portal opened for PWD Enterprises Support Programme

Government is targeting 150 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) enterprises to sign up to the application portal which has been opened to enable businesses tap into the PWD Enterprises Support Pro gramme.

The PWD Enterprises Support Programme is a Technical Assistance and grant funding initiative exclusively designed to support enterprises owned by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Under this initiative, some 150 PWD enterprises will be supported with about GHS12 million in Technical Assistance and grants.

An application portal which opened from June 6 this year until the end of next month is meant to enable businesses to owned by PWDs.

Economic Transformation Project (GETP).

According to the Chief Executive O cer of GEA, Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, government was not oblivious of the various challenges faced by PWD-owned enterprises.

The proposed special window is expected to promote the welfare of the enterprises owned by PWDs through business and nancial management training and grant funding.

Speaking at the launch of the programme in Accra on Monday, Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh said “Here at GEA, we observed a trend where PWD rms have been underrepresented in the various technical assistance and grant programmes because the qualifying criteria seemed rather too high to e ectively compete with non-PWD enterprises.

“Under the rst phase of the COVID-19 Response Grant Programme implemented in 2021, only three PWD enterprises the country was a positive development that would help promote a more inclusive and diverse society.

The programme is earmarking PWD enterprises in agriculture/agro-processing, construction, education, food and beverages, health care or pharmaceuticals, textiles and garments, manufacturing, information technology, tourism and hospitality.

Support for businesses

Launching the programme in Accra yesterday, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Stephen Amoah, said the government was committed to supporting all businesses in the country to ensure inclusive growth.

He said supporting PWDs in Ghana was essential for upholding quality inclusivity and fostering economic empowerment.

“It is important to note that interventions and programmes of such nature align with the government’s goals of providing training, capacity developing, funding, access to market and technology to enable them to scale up their businesses and transition into the next stage of growth, thereby improving their ability to increase sales and exports,” he said.

He said the government in

2021 transformed the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) into a bigger rm called GEA to e ciently manage micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

He said in line with that, a national MSMEs policy was designed to stimulate the growth of the sector to produce quality products and services capable of competing locally and internationally.

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Lariba Zuweira Abudu, noted that despite the progress made in recent years, PWDs still faced signi cant challenges in society.

She said PWDs often struggled to access basic social amenities that most people took for granted and were frequently excluded from social, cultural and economic activities.

However, she said it was important to recognise that PWDs were an integral part of the community and had much to contribute to the economic development of this great nation.

“PWDs possess unique skills, talents and perspectives that can enrich our society and help us to build a more inclusive and equitable society and future.

“As a nation, we must work together to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to opportunities and resources,” he said.

He said that included providing accessible infrastructure, promoting inclusive education and creating employment opportunities that were tailored to their needs.

Driver of economic growth

The Country Director of the World Bank, Pierre Frank Laporte, indicated that the bank believed that MSMEs were a key driver of economic growth in the country, contributing to job creation and socio-economic inclusion.

He said it was important to support enterprises led by PWDs and ensure they could grow and provide opportunities for more people.

Commendation

The Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union, Peter Obeng-Asamoa, commended the government, GEA and support agencies for the introduction of the PWD Enterprise Support Programme.

“We have been waiting for this kind of initiative for a long time to support us to grow our