The Economic Community of West Africa State (ECOWAS) and the U.S. Embassy say they are committed to supporting women with disabilities in Nigeria and West Africa.
The duo gave the assurance on Thursday at a Three-Day Movement Building Leadership Workshop held in Abuja for Intersectional Women Leaders in West Africa.
Mrs Abimbola Oyelohunnu, ECOWAS Social Development Programme Officer, said that the commission prioritised disability matters and was working with state governments across the region to ensure inclusion.
“One of the key functions of the department is promoting disabilities issues and the ECOWAS commission also prioritises disabilities.
“The vision 2050 of ECOWAS is not silent and is very loud in terms of promoting disability inclusion.
“Taking that vision forward, the directorate issued a report; it conducted a regional study on disabilities in West Africa and in coming out of the study report, we developed a regional action plan for disability inclusion for West Africa.
“The action plan was validated in June by the ministers in charge of disabilities inclusion across West Africa,’’ she said.
Oyelohunnu said that ECOWAS had a framework for disability inclusion which was expected to serve as a minimum standard for all its member states.
The ECOWAS official said that asides the action plan, the commission had taken on board disability trainings for stakeholders, duty bearers, as well as right holders to boost their capacity on disability related matters across the region.
She assured that the commission would continue to work with state governments in the region on programmes that were beneficial to persons with disabilities.
Mr Andrei Abrahamia, U.S. Embassy Human Rights Officer, said that the U.S. cooperated with the Nigerian government in a range of issues and was trying to assist the government and other governments across the West Africa region.
Abrahamia said that the U.S. believed Nigeria and other West Africa countries could be stable, prosperous, inclusive and equitable for all.
“I am very pleased that the State Department of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Bureau has been involved in some projects that you have implemented.
“Our leadership understands the situation in Nigeria and in ECOWAS,” he said.
Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, the National President of the Joint National Association for Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), lamented that women with disabilities in West Africa were faced with double discrimination which called for concerns.
“There is discrimination because you are a woman and because you are a person with disability; and that essentially is the message that this gathering is trying to address.
“But beyond this issue, JONAPWD is trying to put leaders that are trained in a community that will be able to work the work and not just talk the talk of disability matters,“ he said.
He said that though not all the countries within the ECOWAS region had adopted the African Disability Protocol, some countries like Nigeria had its national disability law, which should be implemented.
Abdullahi said that when the laws were fully implemented and being executed, all discriminations against women with disabilities would be eliminated.
He urged civil societies and stakeholders not to relent but continue to push for the implementation, execution and domestication of disability laws across Nigeria and in West Africa.
Mr Bashiru Daudu, Federal House of Representatives Chairman on Disability Matters, said the National Assembly was working on its mandate to investigate and ensure compliance to the national disability law by Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).
Other stakeholders at the event lauded the organisers for creating a platform for women with disabilities across the West Africa region to share experiences and provide possible solutions to curd discrimination and ensure Inclusive nations
