As part of activities to celebrate World Wildlife Day, the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) has organized a Skills Exhibition Program for young individuals with special-needs at the Accra Zoo.
The about 40 special-needs young ones with their teachers were from 3 Autism centres, namely, Autism Awareness Care and Training, Epicentre and Klicks Africa Foundation.
The Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Hon Martha Kwayie Manu, said that because wildlife conservation is an all-inclusive activity, the Forestry Commission wants to inspire inclusion by supporting individuals with special-needs, and yet again, create awareness of the protection and conservation of wildlife resources.
She noted that as we celebrate these individuals, it motivates them to bring out the best in them. She further celebrated mothers with special-needs children and commended FC staff, Mrs Sandra Frempong, a mother with a special-needs child on the autism spectrum, who has been combining work and nurturing her son to the admiration of all.
She disclosed that Ms Frempong’s Autism Awareness Foundation will be inaugurated on 2nd April, 2024, and pledged support to the Foundation, and all activities that will be done during World Autism Awareness month in April.
Furthermore, Hon. Martha Kwayie Manu urged all to lend support to the Foundation, and again encouraged all to support wildlife conservation as well as individual with special-needs.
The HR Director, Mrs Anne Brown, in a welcome speech said that in line with the theme of 2024 World Women’s Day, there is a need to celebrate, applaud and pray for women with special-needs children because of the many hurdles they go through to take care of their children.
She again noted that as we celebrated digital innovations and technologies in this year’s World Wildlife Day, what persons are involved, than children who play a lot with technology, and so the program offers FC the opportunity to celebrate children with special-needs and support them.
She again encouraged all to help keep the environment clean as well as conserve all the beautiful natural reserves of the country for both the current and future generations.
The Education Director of Autism Awareness Care and Training, Ms Elorm Duah, explained to the gathering that children with special-needs are mostly misunderstood in Ghana, but they are also human, and need to be accepted, loved and supported.

She mentioned that as teachers, they do a lot of observing to understand them and they teach the children how to communicate because they express themselves in different ways to communicate.

To crown the event, a section of the young ones demonstrated their drawing capabilities and skills in a competition by drawing any wildlife or forest related matter or phenomenon. The best three of the drawings were selected by the Deputy Chief Executive, HR Director and Director of Stakeholder and Ecotourism, Dr Richard Gyimah. They were auctioned, and the monies received presented to the awardees.
The event was interspersed with musical interludes, and the children had the opportunity to show their dancing skills as they danced with the FC dignitaries and their teachers. Also on display, were beads-created items and weavings done by some of the special needs individuals.
As part of the program, the young ones, were again given the chance to witness how animals are fed at the Accra Zoo.