The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has called for a stronger strategic partnership with the Nigeria Partnership for Disability-Inclusive Development (NIPDID) to address persistent barriers facing Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and accelerate disability-inclusive development across Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of NCPWD, Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, made the call at the NIPDID one-day Strategic Meeting held on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in Abuja. He was represented at the meeting by the Director of Social Integration, Lawrence Idemudia.
Gufwan noted that although Nigeria has recorded progress since the enactment of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, significant implementation gaps remain in critical sectors, including education, healthcare, employment, accessibility, social protection, political participation and access to justice.
He also identified inadequate disability-disaggregated data, weak institutional capacity, insufficient funding and poor accountability mechanisms as major challenges hindering the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies and programmes.
According to him, the existence of laws, policies and institutional structures does not automatically translate into improved living conditions for PWDs, stressing that addressing the challenges requires coordinated efforts involving government institutions, development partners, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
The NCPWD Executive Secretary commended NIPDID for reviewing its achievements and repositioning itself for greater relevance and impact. He explained that the proposed 2027–2030 Strategic Partnership Framework would move the relationship beyond information sharing to strategic coordination, aligned investments, joint initiatives and collective accountability.
He urged participants to identify practical areas of collaboration for the remaining months of 2026 while establishing a strong foundation for implementing the new framework from 2027.
Gufwan further encouraged stakeholders to engage in constructive discussions, agree on practical solutions and establish clear responsibilities and measurable commitments that would advance the rights, dignity, opportunities and quality of life of PWDs across the country.
Earlier, the representative of Sightsavers, Esther Bature, disclosed that NIPDID was established in 2021 through the collaboration of three development partners: the World Bank, Sightsavers and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), before commencing full operations in September 2022.
She explained that the partnership had helped streamline the activities of development partners by promoting coordination and preventing duplication of efforts. She, however, called for sustained collaboration to address persistent challenges, including exclusion, institutional capacity gaps and the absence of reliable data for effective planning and programme implementation.
In separate remarks, representatives of Christian Blind Mission (CBM) Global and the World Bank emphasised the need for effective participation, fairness and teamwork among stakeholders to achieve meaningful progress in disability inclusion.
The meeting facilitator, Dr. Adebukola Adebayo, provided an overview of NIPDID’s development journey, highlighting its establishment in 2022, platform development in 2023, changing operational context in 2025 and strategic reflection in 2026.
He identified key priorities for building a more inclusive Nigeria to include enforcing accessibility standards, improving employment opportunities for PWDs, strengthening state-level disability inclusion, mainstreaming disability across development programmes, improving disability data systems, intensifying advocacy and sensitisation, and promoting education and research.
Since its establishment, NIPDID has served as a collaborative platform for international development partners to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships, coordinate development assistance and advance disability-inclusive development in Nigeria.
The highlight of the meeting was the establishment of a committee to guide the finalisation and adoption of NIPDID’s four-year Strategic Partnership Framework.
The meeting was held under the theme, “Strengthening Strategic Partnership for Accelerated Disability-Inclusive Development in Nigeria: Conceptualising a New NIPDID Strategic Partnership Framework (SPF) and Defining Joint Priorities with the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.”
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