President of Ghana Federation of Disability Organization, Yaw Ofori Debrah is urging the Minister for Information, Mustapha Hamid to accept that albinism is a disability.
According to him, the Minister lacks knowledge about the condition being a disability and called on him to read more on albinism.
Mr. Ofori Debrah’s call comes after the Minister of Information Mustapha Hamid laughed off comments by Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection that even though he is an “albino” he has been appointed as a Minister of State.
According to Otiko Afisa-Djaba “You have persons with disability; somebody just takes a picture without asking their permission, some think that every disabled person should be a beggar. I have met disabled people in the University. In the previous administration, there was a disabled person as a Minister for chieftaincy.
“Our Regional Minister currently in the Central Region, Hon. Duncan, is also a person with disability. In some places, persons with albinism are not supposed to even operate, but our Minister for Information Mr. Mustapha Hamid is an albino. I met the Minister for Gender of Liberia and she is an albino; and so it means that we shouldn’t look at the disabilities of people, but their abilities, potential and usefulness” she said.
But commenting on the matter for the first time, Mr. Hamid said his colleague minister has a “complete misunderstanding of disability.”
“And so to that extent it is a matter that we should laugh about. Frankly,” he added.
But Mr. Ofori Debrah in an interview with Adom News said albinism is a form of disability explaining that those with the genetic condition have difficulties with sight, they cannot stand in the sun for long hours due to their skin and as a result, suffer some stigmatization from the society.
According to him, the minister is just ignorant as far as albinism is concerned and therefore called on him to make use of disability books.
Click and listen to Mr Ofori Debrah