A facility once hailed as a beacon of empowerment for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Savannah Region has, nearly two decades later, reportedly been turned into a den for prostitution and drug use.
The Mahama Guest House in Damongo, established in 2005 to create jobs and income-generating opportunities for persons with disabilities, is said to have strayed completely from its founding mission.
Commissioned in December 2005 by the then Northern Regional Minister, Hon. Abubakar Saddique Boniface, the ₵1.2 billion project was constructed with financial assistance from AB&P, a German-based non-governmental organization committed to supporting social inclusion and livelihood initiatives in Ghana.
The idea was spearheaded by Mr. Sampson Mahama Bokuro, a respected member of the disability community in Damongo and then Chairman of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) in the West Gonja District. The guest house was envisioned to operate as a self-sustaining business venture that would employ and train persons with disabilities, while channeling profits into disability support programs—such as providing wheelchairs, sewing machines, and other tools to empower members economically.
The facility comprises five bedrooms, a restaurant, a drinking bar, a conference hall, and a recreational centre. At the time of its commissioning, it was described as one of the most innovative local empowerment projects in Northern Ghana, serving as a model for disability-led economic ventures. However, nearly twenty years on, that vision appears to have collapsed.
According to Bakari Koniamu Fatawu, a disability Advocate and Secretary of the Ghana Society for the Physically Disabled (GSPD) – West Gonja Municipal Branch, the guest house has been taken over by private individuals who now operate it for their own benefit.
“This facility was a beacon of hope for many of us in the disability community,” Fatawu lamented. “It was built with our future in mind.
To see it in its current state is heartbreaking. No single person with a disability is employed there today.”
Reports suggest that the guest house, instead of serving as a hub of inclusion and empowerment, has become a hotspot for commercial sex work and drug-related activities—a disturbing turn of events that has left the local disability community in shock and disappointment.
Community members and disability rights advocates say the facility’s current state not only undermines the vision of its founders but also reflects a broader neglect of disability-focused initiatives in the region.
“This was supposed to be a symbol of progress, something that showed that persons with disabilities can lead and manage successful enterprises,” said a concerned resident who once volunteered during the construction phase.
“Now, it’s a place people avoid because of the immoral activities happening there at night.”
Stakeholders are now calling on the Ghana Society for the Physically Disabled (GSPD), the West Gonja Municipal Assembly, and relevant authorities within the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council to immediately investigate the matter and reclaim the facility.
They insist that the Mahama Guest House should be restored to its original purpose—a sustainable empowerment centre for persons with disabilities—ensuring that the vision of inclusion, dignity, and self-reliance envisioned by its founders is not lost to neglect and mismanagement.
“Restoring this facility will send a strong message that the rights and contributions of persons with disabilities still matter,” Mr. Fatawu emphasized. “We owe it to the people who built this dream and to the many young disabled persons who still look up to it for inspiration.”
Until such steps are taken, the Mahama Guest House remains a stark reminder of how noble social projects can deteriorate when oversight, accountability, and community participation are lost along the way.
