Ahead of the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025, advocacy groups for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have charged the Federal Government (FG) to prioritise the rights and inclusion of PWDs in its programmes.
The International Disability Alliance (IDA) – GDS 2025 is slated for April 2-3 in Berlin, Germany and the governments of Germany and Jordan are set to host the third summit.
However, the Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN) in collaboration with Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and other minority populations gave the charge at a one-day hybrid validation meeting held at the Stonehedge Hotel, Central Area District, Abuja, FCT, on Friday, January 24, 2025.
In a communique made available to Thelensng by AAN, the meeting, attended by key stakeholders, including representatives of marginalised groups, civil society organisations, and consultants was aimed to finalise the commitments to be adopted as pledges for the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025.
It was also convened to review draft commitments and policy recommendations developed during prior meetings.
In her welcome address, the Executive Director (ED) of AAN, Dr. Mrs. Bisi Bamishe expressed gratitude to its funder, Disability Rights Fund (DRF) for believing in its vision and providing the financial and technical support needed to amplify the voices of persons with albinism and other marginalised groups.
Dr. Bamishe noted that the partnership reaffirms the importance of grassroots-driven solutions in achieving lasting change.
She also acknowledged and appreciated the generous support and collaboration of key stakeholders who have made the event possible. Bamishe equally thanked JONAPWD and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) for their consistent advocacy for inclusivity and equality for persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
The ED noted that the partnership strengthens AAN’s resolve and underscores the importance of unity in the collective fight for equity.
She recognised the tireless efforts of marginalised groups represented, whose experiences serve as the foundation of the association’s work – and also thanked the albinism communities for their resilience and unwavering commitment to creating a more inclusive society.
“Your voices are the bedrock of these commitments and advocacy strategies,” Bamishe said while also commending the AAN Consultant and its technical team for their pivotal role in guiding and refining the development process, and for the hard work in organising the meeting and aligning all logistics, both physical and virtual.
Speaking further, she highlighted the objectives of the meeting including Review Draft Commitments and Policy Recommendations, Validation of Proposed Advocacy Strategies and Foster Collaboration among Stakeholders.
On the review draft commitments and policy recommendations, ED Bamishe mentioned that the associations will carefully examine the draft commitments, identify any gaps, and refine the recommendations to reflect the diverse needs and realities of marginalised groups.
As regards to validation of proposed advocacy strategies, she pointed out that advocacy is key to ensuring the adoption and implementation of the commitments, emphasising that the associations aim to identify practical, inclusive, and sustainable strategies to influence decision-makers and stakeholders.
She explained that by bringing together marginalised groups, government bodies, funders, and technical experts, the groups aim to create a unified platform for inclusive policy formulation and implementation in fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
On his part, the Program Manager (PM) of AAN, Joseph Akuse reviewed and highlighted the ten (10) key commitments that were refined and validated as proposed pledges for GDS 2025, including Commit to Economic Empowerment and Employment Opportunities, Commit to Developing Accessible Public Infrastructure, Commit to Promoting Awareness and Combatting Stigma.
Others are Commit to Accessible Healthcare, Commit to Inclusive Education, Commit to Strengthening and Enforcing Legal Frameworks, Commit to Targeted Social Protection Programs, Commit to Strengthening Data Collection and Research, Commit to Collaboration with Civil Society and Marginalised Groups, as well as Commit to Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability Mechanism.
On the proposed pledge Commit to Economic Empowerment and Employment Opportunities, Mr. Akuse noted that the government must commit to creating and promoting 5% empowerment yearly and 10% employment opportunities for Persons With Disabilities both in the private and public sectors by June, 2025 to December, 2030.
As for Commit to Developing Accessible Public Infrastructure, he enjoined the government to ensure that existing buildings meet accessible standard by 2030. Similarly, the FG was asked to allow construction projects conform with accessible standards including physical accessibility like ramps, digital standards by December, 2030.
“Commit to promoting awareness and combating stigma. a) Government should commit to launching nationwide public awareness campaign through the use of all media outlets to combat stigma and discrimination against Persons With Disabilities by allocating 30 minutes weekly awareness from May, 2025 to December, 2030.
“Commit to Accessible Healthcare a) Special intervention in dermatological and cancer care among the six (6) geopolitical/region, using Federal Medical Centers as touch points. And the sum of hundred Million (N100, 000,000.00) deposited into the coffers of each of the six (6) hospitals as take off grants. b) Expansion of the National Insurance Health Policy to accommodate dermatological care by the last quarter of 2025.
“c) Public health enlightenment for Marginalized Groups through the National Orientation Agency in collaboration with Ministry of Justice and Health. d) A need for provision of sign language interpreters in hospitals so as to make it easier for them. e) Government should commit to subside assistive devices and other healthcare intervention. f) The need of aiders to guide and assist the Deaf/blind while accessing healthcare services. g) Provision of sign language interpreters for deaf and deaf/blind in schools.”
On Commit to Inclusive Education, the PM recommended that teachers at basic level should be taught basic sign language within the period of next year, stressing that deaf/blind needs interpreters to aid them in grasping and communication.
He also pointed out enlightenment and awareness to schools and school heads on the need to accept Persons With Disabilities in their schools, explaining that it will give all PWDs a sense of inclusion, as well as assistive aids (magnifying lenses) in subsequent budgets.
“Commit to Strengthening and Enforcing Legal Frameworks a) Government should commit to ensure comprehensive legal protection laws and also specified punishment for offenders. b) Other social organizations and institutions like (church, mosque etc) and other relevant stakeholders in proper orientation.
“Commit to Targeted Social Protection Programs. a) The Government must commit to developing and expanding social protection programs through the Ministry of Humanitarian to tailored to the needs of all Persons With disabilities. This includes providing financial assistance, housing support, and food security measures for all Persons with disabilities, who face economic and social vulnerabilities by December, 2026. b) The Government should by April, 2026 ensure that social protection programs are easily accessible and inclusive, with streamlined processes for Persons with Disabilities to access benefits without discrimination or undue hardship.
“Commit to strengthening Data Collection and Research a) The Government must commit to collecting yearly disaggregated data on Persons with Disabilities to inform evidence-based policies. This involves conducting comprehensive national survey to capture data on the prevalence, needs and experiences of Persons with Disabilities, with the focus on underrepresented groups such as Persons with intellectual Disabilities, Albinism, and Dwarfism. By establishing a centralized disability database, the Government can monitor progress, identify gaps and develop targeted interventions to address emerging challenges.”
With respect to committing to collaboration with civil society and marginalised groups, Akuse put forward that the government must commit to fostering partnerships with civil society organisations, PWDs and marginalised groups to co-create and implement disability policies.
He emphasised that by engaging directly with PWDs and advocates, the government can ensure that policies, programs reflect lives experiences and address real needs, while proposing that yearly consultations and feedback mechanisms should be institutionalised to maintain open dialogue and ensure accountability.
“Commit to Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability Mechanism: The government must commit to establishing a continuous monitoring and evaluation mechanism to track the implementation of disability policies and programs. This includes setting clear targets, allocating adequate resources, and conducting regular impact assessments to measure progress, transparent reporting mechanism, such as annual disability progress reports, will hold stakeholders accountable and ensure continuous improvement,” he added.
While commenting on resolutions, PM Akuse stated that the commitments were unanimously validated, with participants emphasising the need for immediate implementation. He also assured that AAN will liaise with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the commitments are presented at GDS 2025.
He further revealed the association’s next steps, including consolidating validated commitments into a formal document for submission to GDS 2025, organising follow-up meetings to track progress on implementation, and advocating for government action on validated commitments through targeted engagement.
