Ghana has taken a key step towards an inclusive future with the official launch of the Ghana Network of Youth with Disabilities (GNYD), a national platform created to empower young persons with disabilities for full participation in national development.
The ceremony, which was held at Sunlodge Hotel in Tesano, was attended by leaders from government, civil society, and the disability community under the theme: ‘Advancing Equal Opportunities for Youths with Disabilities: The Role of the Movement of Youths with Disabilities’.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in charge of Operations and Programs at the National Youth Authority, Alhaji Inusah Mahama, who spoke at the occasion, indicated that the establishment of GNYD represents the renewed commitment of Ghana to the African Youth Charter that affirms the rights of all youth, including those with disabilities, to full participation in education, employment, civic life, governance, and cultural activities.
He reiterated that the Authority has explicit mandate through Act 939, as well as the National Youth Policy, to champion the cause of the youth with special needs.
He noted that disability inclusion is not an optional gesture on the part of anyone but a core national obligation.
He said the NYA remained committed to ensuring persons with disability are not only invited into spaces but are actively involved in decision-making, and qualified persons will be nominated onto youth committees and national delegations.
He then inaugurated the interim working group that will be responsible for setting up the full national structure of the Network, charging them to build an influential, united movement able to drive change and secure the rightful place of youth with disabilities in Ghana’s development agenda.
Adding his voice, Lead Director for SightSavers David Agyemang said the inauguration of the interim working group marked a landmark moment that moves Ghana closer to a truly inclusive youth development framework.
He said the GNYD would amplify voices of young persons with disabilities, strengthen leadership capacities, and make sure that disability-inclusive development becomes central to youth policy.
He hailed the NYA for its boldness and pledged continued partnership by SightSavers.
The Chairperson of the Youth Committee of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations, Michael Obeng, highlighted the current realities that young persons with disabilities are facing in the country.
He cited the over two million Ghanaians with recorded disabilities from the 2021 Population and Housing Census and painted a picture of continued lack of inclusion in national policies and programs.
He said the GNYD is more than an association: “It is a movement, a declaration of their demand for dignity, visibility, and equal opportunities.”
“We are not seeking sympathy; we want equal rights to work, to learn, to love, and to live fully,” he added.
In an interview, Ellah A. Korku Ametor of the National Union of Students with Disability (NUSD) said he was very optimistic about the Network.
He said GNYD has the potential of becoming a powerful pressure group for the advancement of national opportunities due them as young people with disabilities.
He called on all persons with disabilities to join in. He said it is only by collective strength that meaningful change and impact could be experienced.
On the other hand, Princess Mensah of Lead Gender Africa said she feels proud to be part of the new Network.
She congratulated organizers on this bold step taken, saying persons living with disabilities are often sidelined or offered tokenistic opportunities which do not reflect their actual potential.
She thus hopes that the GNYD will create an avenue for actual representation, equity, and equal opportunity.
This is a very important moment for disability advocacy in Ghana: the launch of the Ghana Network of Youth with Disabilities-a unified force to ensure that no young person gets left behind.