- What’s Happening: TAF Africa is pushing for unity within the Nigerian disability community.
- Why It Matters: A unified voice is essential for effective advocacy at the 2025 Global Disability Summit.
- The Goal: To ensure Nigeria’s Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) are heard and their needs are addressed.
One Voice for Nigerian PwDs at Global Summit
Mr. Jake Epelle, the head honcho at TAF Africa, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. He stressed the importance of everyone being on the same page before heading to the summit in Berlin, Germany (April 2-3). This summit is a big deal, organized by the International Disability Alliance and the governments of Germany and Jordan.
“We need to make sure the disability community shows up with one voice,” Epelle said. “We need to figure out our position as a community and what the government’s stance is. We can’t have everyone talking over each other. We need one voice that booms at the conference.”
In 2023, over 1 billion people, or 16% of the global population, experience a significant disability. Of this number, 80% live in developing countries, and these individuals often encounter numerous obstacles, including limited access to education, employment, healthcare, and social support services. This leads to lower economic status, social isolation, and reduced overall quality of life.
Commitments Matter: What’s on the Agenda?
Epelle also pointed out that the summit is all about getting stakeholders to commit to helping PwDs. These commitments could be about anything from inclusion to empowering women to working with key players.
“If you’re committed to inclusion, women’s empowerment, or working with important stakeholders, you need to spell that out. It has to be presented at the summit,” he explained.
Nigeria’s Role: Time to Step Up?
Epelle wants Nigeria to be a co-sponsor of the next Global Summit on Disability. He believes this would show the world that Nigeria is serious about protecting the rights of people with disabilities. Currently, countries like Kenya and Ghana are co-sponsors.
Looking Ahead
The main goal of the summit is to get countries to commit to disability-inclusive development and to boost global efforts to include people with disabilities around the world.
Key Objectives of the Global Disability Summit
- Strengthen the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities worldwide.
- Promote the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
- Foster international collaboration and partnerships.
- Share best practices and innovative solutions for disability inclusion.
- Raise awareness and challenge stigma and discrimination.