By the end of 2022, ZPE successfully completed the project ‘Inclusive Local Planning in Ghana II’. From 2018 to 2021, the University of Ghana and the University of Siegen, in cooperation with two Ghanaian districts, conducted research on the living conditions of people with disabilities and their access to social services. Research findings were discussed with local representatives of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), representatives of the local administration, non-governmental service providers and traditional authorities (chiefs and queen mothers). This was followed by a co-creative process to develop recommendations for inclusive local development. On this basis, the pilot project ‘Inclusive Local Planning in Ghana II’ had been launched in 2021. In cooperation with the two district assemblies, pilot initiatives at the intersection of local planning and employment promotion for people with disabilities were developed and tested. Specifically, a company for the production of potable water and a vegetable processing service were established. Both initiatives were realised as business spin-offs of a local Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) in cooperation with the local administration. The initiatives were financially backed by a local seed fund. ZPE and the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana conducted an ongoing evaluation of the process. The project was funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Contact: lars.wissenbach@uni-siegen.de