Ministers responsible for People With Disabilities (PWDs) from ECOWAS member states and experts are convening in Abuja to adopt the regional bloc’s action plan concerning the social inclusion of PWDs.
Addressing the inaugural session of the meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr, the ECOWAS Commissioner of Human Development and Social Affairs, said: “With the adoption of this Action Plan on the Inclusion of People with Disabilities, a further step is taken in the realisation of Vision 2050, towards the ECOWAS of the peoples.”
She outlined the action plan titled “Regional Action Plan on Disability Inclusion in West Africa – 2022-2030”, encompassing three primary priority areas for enhancing disability inclusion in ECOWAS and its member states.
“These three priority areas, which entail activities, verifiable results, and timeline, include improving disability inclusion across all aspects of the ECOWAS Commission’s work, enhancing the legal and policy environment for the inclusion of people with disabilities, and fostering regional partnerships to bolster resource mobilisation for their inclusion,” Prof. Sarr explained.
Emphasising that Persons with disability are often vulnerable and living in precarious conditions, the ECOWAS Commission has intensified its collaboration with national and regional associations of persons with disabilities and conducted various awareness forums for PWDs, she added.
“We are presently executing a pilot project covering two ECOWAS member states, Togo and Nigeria. This program aims to provide assistive devices to children with disabilities and is anticipated to encompass all member states in the future. This presents an invaluable opportunity not only to reaffirm our commitment to the provisions of Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the vision of ECOWAS 2050,” she stated.
Inaugurating the meeting, Abel Enitan, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, affirmed Nigeria’s strong commitment to implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities (CRPD), ratified in 2007.
While commending ECOWAS for the initiative to adopt the action plan, he advocated for the establishment of the ECOWAS Agency for Disability Affairs.
“To ensure that ECOWAS becomes an all-inclusive region for persons with disabilities in member states, Nigeria advocates for the establishment of the ECOWAS Agency for Disability Affairs (EADA), to integrate regional disability policies and strategies for rehabilitation and equal opportunity in the community. This agency will also provide a mechanism to protect, promote, support, and respect the actions of people with disabilities,” he urged.
N The Abba Isa, a senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on special needs and equal opportunities, lauded ECOWAS for the initiative, confirming the Federal Government’s directive for the implementation of ECOWAS Regional Action Plan on Disability Inclusion.
“In line with this mandate, my office has initiated the Beyond Disability Project to help drive the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan. The project aims to promote inclusivity and accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Niger,” he added.
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