‘No Disrespect to Dr Ayeh, but We Demand Engagement with Senior Government Official’ – Graduates with Disabilities

The Coalition of Unemployed Graduates with Disabilities is demanding direct engagement with a senior government official over what it describes as the persistent unemployment challenges confronting graduates with disabilities across the country.

The Coalition made the demand on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, when its members picketed at the Jubilee House to present a petition to the government, calling for urgent measures to create employment opportunities for graduates with disabilities, particularly within the public sector.

The group says its action follows what it considers the government’s failure to adequately implement existing legal provisions and policies intended to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in employment.

Speaking to the media after the picketing, Convener of the Coalition, Gilbert Boateng, said the group was prepared to engage government but wanted its concerns addressed by an official with sufficient authority to take concrete decisions.

“We want to meet someone who is within the top hierarchy of government. No disrespect to Dr Ayeh,” Mr Boateng said.

Dr Samuel Ayeh had been delegated to receive the petition on behalf of the government. However, the Coalition declined to hand over the petition to him, insisting that its concerns should be presented directly to a higher-ranking government official.

Mr Boateng stressed that the Coalition had no personal issue with Dr Ayeh and understood that he was attending the event in an official capacity.

“We understand the financial and the initial duties of Dr Ayeh. He did not come here on his own accord. He came because he was delegated to come here,” he explained.

Coalition Demands Financial Clearance

A key demand of the Coalition is the granting of financial clearance to facilitate the recruitment of graduates with disabilities into the public sector.

According to Mr Boateng, the group is seeking dedicated employment opportunities for qualified graduates with disabilities to ensure that they are not disadvantaged when competing for limited vacancies in the general recruitment process.

“One, we are asking for financial clearance,” he said.

He argued that a dedicated mechanism for recruiting graduates with disabilities would help address what the Coalition considers systemic barriers that prevent many qualified persons from securing public-sector employment despite having the requisite academic qualifications.

The Coalition believes that financial clearance specifically allocated for the employment of graduates with disabilities would provide a practical pathway for government to translate its commitments on inclusion into tangible opportunities.

‘Our Issues Were Above Them’

Mr Boateng said the Coalition had previously engaged government representatives with the expectation that their concerns would be addressed but later realised that the officials involved lacked the authority to resolve some of the issues raised.

“When we came here for the first time, we thought that our issues were going to be resolved by the government. But we realised at the end of the day that the issues were above, so [they] couldn’t do anything,” he said.

He said the experience had convinced the Coalition that further discussions should involve officials positioned high enough within government to make or facilitate decisions on employment and financial clearance.

According to him, the group is therefore seeking a direct meeting with senior officials to move beyond discussions and secure concrete commitments.

Call on Chief of Staff, Vice President

Mr Boateng said the Coalition’s immediate objective is to meet either the Chief of Staff or the Vice President to formally present its concerns and discuss possible solutions.

“On this day as we are here, our mission is to meet either the Chief of Staff to speak to us or the Vice President,” he stated.

The Coalition is consequently appealing to the government to treat the unemployment situation facing graduates with disabilities as an urgent matter and provide clear timelines for addressing their concerns.

The group maintains that graduates with disabilities who have acquired the necessary academic and professional qualifications should be given meaningful opportunities to contribute to national development.

It is also calling for stronger implementation of policies and legal provisions aimed at promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the workforce.

For the Coalition, direct engagement with senior government officials is critical to ensuring that its demands for financial clearance, dedicated employment opportunities and greater inclusion in the public sector receive the attention and decisive action it believes they require.