PIAC, GFD advocate for inclusivity in oil revenue spending

The Public Interest and Accountability Commission (PIAC) and the Ghana Federation of Disability (GDF) have jointly advocated for inclusivity in the oil revenue spending. The two institutions made the call when PIAC organised a stakeholder's session for members of the Federation.The purpose of the gathering was to explain the highlights of the 2023 PIAC Annual Report on the Management and Use of Petroleum Revenues in Ghana.The Committee provided considerable insights on the gains, drawbacks, findings, and recommendations for the 2023 report. Emerita Professor Elizabeth Ardayifo-Schandorf, the Chairperson for the Committee, said the oil revenue was meant for every Ghanaian.Thus, it was imperative that the government of Ghana develop an inclusivity framework for every citizen to benefit from the revenue regardless of their status, religion, disability, or otherwise.She said the oil revenue could achieve inclusivity when the government of Ghana remained committed to the five per cent benchmark allocat ion from the annual budget funding to the District Assembly Common Fund.The Chairperson also commended the government for ensuring inclusivity in the allocation of revenue through the continuous funding of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.She further advocated for citizen engagement in the activities of PIAC, noting that the citizens must know their representatives on the committee and make the necessary findings from them on the utilisation of the oil revenue.Mr Joseph Atsu Humadzi, the President of the Federation, said that although allocations and provisions were made to cater for persons with disabilities (PWD), they were yet to experience the actual impact.He advised the government to prioritise skills development initiatives when allocating funds for people with disabilities.Mr. Humadzi noted that previous efforts in that regard failed because those initiatives focused on only skill provisions.However, subsequent allocations must focus on providing skills training and start-up capita l for PWDs. Source: Ghana News Agency