The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development recently developed a four-year national roadmap on local production of standard assistive technologies for persons with disabilities (PWDs). The move is regarded by many as the succour for PWDs who had complained of discomfort with foreign devices; PAUL OKAH reports.
World over, an estimated one billion people are said to be living with disabilities. According to the World Health Organisation’s 2011 World Disability Report, out of over 200 million people in Nigeria, 15 per cent are estimated to be living with disabilities.
As a result, many countries of the world embrace caring for and meeting the needs of people with disabilities; in terms of protection of their rights, access to healthcare facilities, educational facilities and economic activities, with the federal government often reiterating it cannot afford to remain isolated among comity of nations, with respect to paying special attention to her citizens who have special needs.
In line with Articles 19 and 20 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which Nigeria is a signatory to, member nations are required to ensure through various measures, that millions of PWDs enjoy the right to independent living, inclusion and participation in all aspects of life through unhindered access to Assistive Technology (AT) support. This includes among others encouraging local production of mobility aids and other assistive devices for use by PWDs.
Assistive Technology (AT) is an umbrella term covering the systems and services related to the delivery of assistive products and services, such as wheelchairs, eyeglasses, hearing aids, prosthetics, and personal assistive devices. Assistive technology plays an important role in maintaining and improving people’s functioning and thereby promoting their well-being.
It enables persons with difficulties in functioning to lead healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives, participating in education, the labour market and social life. Access to Assistive Technology is thus an essential component in the continuum of health care and universal health coverage. It needs to be integrated into efforts to attain target 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on universal health coverage.
Roadmap
On July 19, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development unveiled a four year national roadmap on local production of standard assistive technologies for PWDs in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja during the unveiling of the roadmap for 2021-2025, the permanent secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Nasir Sani Gwarzo, represented by the director of humanitarian affairs, Alhaji Ali Grema, said the ministry was forced to consider local production of assistive devices as imported ones had too many complaints ranging from poor fitting for end users, the lack of comfort to users, high cost and in some extreme cases caused further injury to users.
He said the objectives of the Roadmap are: to provide guidance for production, procurement and distribution of Assistive Technologies for PWDs in Nigeria, ensure quality control in local production of Assistive Technologies for PWDs in Nigeria, mainstream local production of Assistive Technologies in innovative and industrial development of the country, help in providing enabling environment for employment creation through local production of Assistive Technologies for PWDs in Nigeria and to ensure availability and affordability of Assistive Technologies for PWDs in Nigeria.
He said: “The Ministry, through her Special Needs Department, has continuously made concerted efforts towards improving the lives of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria. These efforts have at different times been aimed at specific objectives to generally fetch better living outcomes for PWDs in Nigeria. Prior to this time and as a deliberate effort to meeting the needs of PWDs in Nigeria, the Ministry has been procuring Assistive Technology (AT) for identified PWDs and other PWDs focused NGOs in Nigeria, most of them being foreign AT, either procured directly by the Ministry or donated.
“Conversely, there were a number of setbacks with most of the imported ATs ranging from poor fitting for end users, lack of comfort to users, high cost and in some extreme cases causing further injury to users. The above aforementioned inadequacies propelled the Ministry to start thinking inwards towards supporting local production of these ATs. Thus this led to the constitution and inauguration of a National Technical Working Group (NTWG) on Local Production of Assistive Technologies in the 36 states of the Federation and FCT, as well as the development of a National Roadmap on Local Production of standardized Assistive Technologies for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria 2021-2025.”
He said further: “This Roadmap has therefore been developed to pilot the implementation of the key enabling actions, activities and programmes that will be instrumental to an organized production, procurement and distribution of Assistive Technologies for PWDs in Nigeria. It passed through a series of processes and reviews under the guidance and direction of the NTWG, a Consultant who facilitated its development as well as its Stakeholders Validation.
“To ensure that the goal of the document is achieved, the Ministry had conducted a nation-wide assessment visit to major local producers of ATs in the 36 States and FCT, where substantial number of local producers of AT were identified; capacities of 48 of them have been built and provided with N200, 000 grant each to be able to overcome greater portion of the challenges being encountered in the production process of standardised devices.
“The Roadmap captures both the global and Nigeria context of Assistive Technologies; it x-rayed the current situation of Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria, their AT requirements and the local producers of the AT from the perspective of demography; human rights, disability situation, health situation, stigma, disaster risk management, and monitoring and evaluation of the change. Strategic priorities and objectives were also reiterated.
“Certainly, it is our hope that the Roadmap on Local Production of Standard Assistive Technologies for Persons with Disabilities is a step in the right direction for us as a nation; and that the standardisation of the production, procurement and distribution of Assistive Technologies in Nigeria will ultimately secure better lives for PWDs.
“We are confident that if the recommendations and key programmes and specific activities contained in this Roadmap are implemented meticulously, it will promote an egalitarian society and stimulate humanitarian services across the country.
“I want to assure you that the federal government will continue to do her best in providing exemplary leadership and conducive environment for the development of Persons with Disabilities. I, therefore, wish to call on all and sundry to continue to support the government’s effort in building a society desired by all.”
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, a member of Daughters of Charity, an arm of St. Vincent de Paul, Sister Fidelia Unigwe, said she looked forward to the implementation of the roadmap so that everlasting succour can be provided for the PWDs in Nigeria.
“I want to commend the minister for her passion in issues affecting PWDs. It has been wonderful for the Daughters of Charity working with the ministry as part of the Technical Working Group. The department of the ministry for special needs people are really committed. We look forward to the roadmap being implemented so that by 2025 we would have achieved our target of producing quality and durable assistive devices for PWDs,” she said.
Minister’s stern orders
However, reacting to the unveiling of the roadmap, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Senator Adeleke Mamora, represented at the event by the Director, Policy Analysis, Statistics and International Relations, Mr. Igili Andrew, advised that effort should be made for the implementation of the roadmap in order for it not to be a waste of time and resources.
“The Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation has been here from the beginning and part of this process. We have been involved in the roadmap for many years and we are happy to be where we are today. Because of our culture in Nigeria, which is not too pleasant, the issue should not just be about having the roadmap, but the implementation. It must be pursued vigorously in a way for the objectives to be achieved. Let it be on record that as we are unveiling the roadmap today, we should have a strategic plan for its implementation.
“I know that The Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is part of the Technical Working Group for the local production of assistive devices for PWDs, but there should be a committee for the implementation of the roadmap. It should not be that we will just come here and our manner will be that five years down the line, the roadmap is gathering dust and not being implemented. So, there should be a rigorous pursuit for the implementation of the roadmap to the letter; so that a few years later, we can come together again to evaluate the performance,” she said.
