The programme was organised jointly by the government through the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the RLG Institute of Technology as part of government’s intervention to integrate PWDs into society and make them economically useful and independent.

The RLG Institute of Technology began the first phase of the project to train 5000 PWDs nationwide with ICT knowledge and skills.

Each beneficiary was given a certificate and a set of tools and kits comprising magnifying lens, a set of screw drivers, rework station and tweezers to facilitate the setting up of their own businesses.

Mr Roland Agambire, Chief Executive Officer of RLG, in an address read on his behalf by Mr Isaac Appiah, Head of Training, RLG Communications, said the six-month training was intensive.

He said beneficiaries were taken through a lot of subject areas, including hardware, software, entrepreneurship, repair and assembling of mobile phones and computers and expressed the hope that they would effectively apply the lessons learnt to make life meaningful for themselves, their families and communities.

Mr Agambire said the second phase of the project was ongoing with the training of 10,000 PWDs nationwide and indicated the continuous desire of RLG to partner government to alleviate the plight of all socially-disadvantaged persons in the society.

Mr Max Vardon, Executive Secretary of the National Council on Persons with Disability (NCPD), reminded beneficiaries that the training programme was meant to promote and support them for the socio-economic transformation of their lives.

He, therefore, emphasised that the journey to enhance their lives had started with their graduation where “each of them is expected to take ownership of the challenge of deploying the training and tools they had received for their own advantage and survival.”

Story by James K. Baah