The Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities has called for direct intervention from Ghana’s presidency over the government’s failure to implement a promised five per cent quota for persons with disabilities in public-sector recruitment.
The group staged a picket outside Jubilee House on Wednesday, 19 August, but initially refused to submit its petition to Dr Samuel Ayeh, who had been designated to receive it.
The graduates said they wanted the document accepted by the Chief of Staff, the Vice President or the President, arguing that previous petitions had not led to the action they were seeking.
Gilbert Boateng, the coalition’s Lead Convener, said the demand for a senior government official was based on repeated disappointment after earlier engagements.
“When we came here for the first time, and Madam Shamima Muslim came, we thought that our issues were going to be resolved by the government, but we realized that, at the end of the day, Madam Shamima Muslim, the issues were above her, so she couldn’t do anything. She was helpless at a point, so on this day, as we are here, our mission and vision is to meet either the Chief of Staff, speak to us, or the Vice President, or the President.”
Boateng maintained that the latest petition would not be given to another representative because the coalition wanted a direct discussion with a senior member of the government.
Dr Ayeh, however, said he was qualified to receive the document and had been officially assigned to do so.
“I stand here, I am also a senior member of government at the Office of the President, and I am standing instead of his excellency the President. So, if you think that the president has sent me to receive a petition on his behalf, and in your opinion, I am a nobody, and because of that you will not give me your petition. Well, that is a position you can also have. I respect that decision; there is no problem with it. You can wait until a point in time where you think you have met the right person to deliver.”
He told the group that its concerns would be passed on to the relevant authorities, while also asking the protesters to show him the necessary respect in his official capacity.
The graduates later moved to hand over the petition, but warned that they expected the government to act and not subject them to another prolonged wait.
Their requests centre on two issues: the enforcement of the five per cent recruitment allocation for persons with disabilities in the public service, and the introduction of practical measures to tackle unemployment among graduates with disabilities.
The coalition said the quota promise remained unfulfilled despite its importance to graduates seeking opportunities in the public sector. It has therefore renewed pressure on the government to translate the commitment into actual recruitment and provide a clear response to those affected.
