About 300 unemployed persons with disabilities who have completed tertiary education have taken to the streets in protest over prolonged unemployment, with some claiming they have been without jobs as far back as 2017.
The group, led by Nana Kojo Baah Felix, President of the Coalition of Unemployed Disabled Graduates Association, is demanding urgent government intervention to address what they describe as systemic barriers to employment.
Speaking in an interview on Kessben Maakye, the demonstrators expressed deep frustration over their situation, noting that despite submitting a press release months ago, they have not received any meaningful follow-up from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
According to them, the sector minister, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, had earlier outlined some modalities aimed at addressing their concerns, but the group says there has been no communication or implementation since then.
“We are not here to beg on the streets. We are educated.
The group emphasized that their protest is not politically motivated, stressing that their aim is not to undermine the government but to draw attention to their worsening plight.
“We are neither politicking nor making the government unpopular, but our situation is becoming unbearable,” he added
The protesters also highlighted the persistent stigma faced by persons with disabilities, describing it as “alarming” and a major barrier to their integration into the workforce.
They recounted the sacrifices made by their families to support their education, often under difficult circumstances, only for them to remain dependent years after graduation.
“Our families did not abandon us. They struggled to ensure we attained tertiary education through thick and thin. Yet, after completing school, we are still at home, dependent on them because successive governments have turned a deaf ear to our concerns,” the group lamented.
The demonstrators have announced plans to present petitions to key state institutions, including the United Nations Secretariat in Accra, Parliament House, and the Jubilee House, as part of efforts to seek redress and push for inclusive employment policies.
They are calling on the government to create barrier-free job opportunities and implement policies that ensure equal access to employment for persons with disabilities.
