Mahama Boosts Disability Funding: DACF Allocation for PWDs Rises to 5% in 2026, Quota and Tax Incentives Announced
President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled a landmark policy shift, increasing the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocation for Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) from 3% to 5% effective 2026, alongside a mandatory 5% employment quota in public and private sectors with tax incentives for compliant firms.
The announcements, made during the launch of the Free Tertiary Education Programme for PWDs on Friday, aim to dismantle barriers and empower an estimated 1.2 million Ghanaians with disabilities through targeted budgeting and legislative reforms.
“Next year, in the District Assemblies Common Fund formula, we intend to increase the allocation to persons with disability from 3% to 5%,” Mahama declared, directing each Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (MMDA) to establish a Disability Desk in consultation with the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD).
These desks will craft annual budgets for the funds, ensuring transparent spending on assistive devices, vocational training, and accessibility upgrades—addressing a chronic underfunding gap that left only GH¢150 million disbursed in 2024 against a GH¢500 million need.
The employment quota, enforceable via the upcoming Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Act and Legislative Instrument to revise the 2006 law, mandates at least 5% PWD hires across sectors, with tax breaks for private entities meeting the threshold.
“This will open doors long shut,” Mahama stated, echoing GFD’s praise for the free tertiary program that waives fees for 5,000 PWDs starting 2026, covering tuition, accommodation, and aids in public universities.
The initiative, budgeted at GH¢200 million annually, builds on Free SHS expansions and targets a 20% rise in PWD enrollment, per Ministry data.
GFD President Joseph Nii Okai hinted at the policy’s potential to cut poverty rates among PWDs—currently 45% versus 25% national average—through inclusive growth. Critics, however, urge safeguards against tokenism, with the Ghana Employers Association calling for training subsidies.
