In a bold move to tackle the persistent invisibility of persons with disabilities in policy planning and development, the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has called on member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to urgently adopt and domesticate the ECOWAS Disability Data Accountability Framework.
The call was made by the Executive Secretary of NCPWD, Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, during a high-level Regional Experts Validation Meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday. Represented at the meeting by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Idowu Iwere, the NCPWD boss emphasized that the journey toward inclusion must begin with accurate and comprehensive data.
“Inclusion begins with being counted,” Gufwan declared, setting the tone for what has now become a critical conversation across the region.
According to him, the absence of reliable and disaggregated disability data has continued to undermine efforts to design inclusive policies and programs, leaving millions of persons with disabilities across West Africa excluded from essential services.
“We cannot plan for persons with disabilities if we cannot see them in our data,” he stressed. “Disaggregated disability data moves us from assumptions to evidence. It tells us who is being left behind, where they are, and what barriers they face.”
The proposed ECOWAS Disability Data Accountability Framework, he explained, is not merely a technical document, but a transformative tool designed to hold governments accountable in their commitment to inclusion. It provides a unified standard for collecting, analyzing, and applying disability data to inform real-life decisions in sectors such as education, healthcare, employment, and social protection.
Gufwan warned that without such a framework, critical systems across the region—including schools, hospitals, and welfare programs—will continue to overlook persons with disabilities, further deepening inequality and marginalization.
Three Pillars for Action
Highlighting practical steps forward, the NCPWD Executive Secretary urged ECOWAS member states to commit to three key actions that will drive meaningful change.
First, he called for the mainstreaming of disability data collection across all sectors, ensuring that persons with disabilities are systematically captured in national statistics.
Second, he emphasized the need to strengthen the capacity of National Statistical Offices and relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to generate timely, reliable, and disaggregated data.
Third, he advocated for the effective use of such data in shaping budgets, designing targeted interventions, and tracking progress toward inclusion.
“These are not just policy recommendations; they are commitments that will determine whether millions remain invisible or become active participants in national development,” he noted.
Aligning with National and Regional Priorities
Gufwan further revealed that the framework aligns seamlessly with Nigeria’s legal and policy commitments, particularly the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, as well as the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He reaffirmed NCPWD’s readiness to lead the domestication process in Nigeria, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics, relevant MDAs, and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs).
This, he said, reflects a broader commitment to ensuring that disability inclusion is not treated as an afterthought but integrated into the core of national development planning.
From Data to Impact
In a compelling reflection, Gufwan underscored the transformative power of data when matched with political will.
“Data by itself changes nothing. But data in the hands of committed leaders changes everything,” he said.
Painting a vivid picture of what inclusive data could achieve, he explained that it could lead to the construction of accessible classrooms for children who use wheelchairs, ensure that deaf women receive healthcare information in sign language, and guarantee that social protection benefits reach persons with disabilities in even the most remote communities.
For advocates and stakeholders present at the meeting, this message resonated strongly, reinforcing the urgent need to shift from rhetoric to action.
A Call to Action for West Africa
As deliberations continue across the region, Gufwan challenged participants not to leave the meeting with just another validated document, but with a renewed commitment to driving real change.
He called for collective action to “make the invisible visible and the excluded included,” envisioning an ECOWAS region where the rights, needs, and aspirations of persons with disabilities are not only recognized but prioritized.
The Abuja meeting marks a significant step toward building a data-driven, inclusive West Africa—one where no one is left behind simply because they were never counted.
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