The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Hon. Ayuba Gufwan, has called for coordinated and measurable actions to eliminate barriers preventing persons with disabilities from accessing financial services in Nigeria.
Gufwan made the call while delivering a goodwill message at a two-day workshop on “Barriers to Financial Inclusion Services for Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria” held in Lagos and organised by Sightsavers Nigeria. He commended the organisers, development partners, financial service providers, regulators, researchers, and Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) for coming together to address the challenges facing disability-inclusive finance in the country.
According to him, financial inclusion goes beyond access to banking services and is fundamentally linked to economic participation, entrepreneurship, employment, social protection, savings, insurance, credit facilities, digital finance, and human dignity. He noted that many persons with disabilities continue to face significant obstacles, including inaccessible banking facilities, communication barriers for persons with hearing and visual disabilities, digital exclusion, discriminatory attitudes, limited access to identification documents, poverty, low financial literacy, and inadequate disability-sensitive financial products.
The NCPWD Executive Secretary stressed that no nation can achieve sustainable economic growth while excluding millions of its citizens from the financial ecosystem. He said that although the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 provides a strong legal framework for equal access and non-discrimination, there is a need for practical measures to ensure persons with disabilities can access and utilise financial services safely, independently, affordably, and with dignity.
Gufwan expressed confidence that the workshop would provide a strategic platform for identifying critical barriers, examining policy, legal, technological, and institutional gaps, sharing innovative practices, and strengthening collaboration between disability stakeholders and financial institutions. He added that the expected outcomes should include actionable recommendations capable of driving meaningful change within the financial sector.
He urged financial institutions and regulators to view disability inclusion not as charity but as a matter of rights, compliance, market expansion, and sustainable development. According to him, persons with disabilities represent a significant segment of the population whose economic potential remains largely untapped due to systemic exclusion from financial services and opportunities.
Reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to advancing disability inclusion, Gufwan said the NCPWD would continue to work closely with government institutions, the private sector, fintech companies, development partners, civil society organisations, and OPDs to promote inclusive policies and systems that leave no one behind.
He further charged participants at the workshop to engage openly and strategically, moving beyond the identification of challenges to developing practical and implementable solutions capable of transforming lives and strengthening inclusive economic participation across Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary also appreciated Sightsavers Nigeria and other partners for organising the workshop and expressed optimism that the deliberations would contribute significantly to building a more inclusive and accessible financial system for persons with disabilities in the country.
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