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The Voice Persons with Disabilities Community of Practice Network marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) 2025
Date: December 3rd, 2025
Theme: โFostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progressโ
The Voice Persons with Disabilities Community of Practice Network (Voice PWD CoP Network) joins the global community to commemorate the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), with a renewed call for urgent and concrete action to dismantle the barriers holding back over 27 million Nigerians with disabilities (NBS, 2020). This yearโs theme, โFostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,โ underscores a critical truth: Nigeria cannot achieve true development while persons with disabilities remain excluded from education, employment, digital access, and public life.
Despite years of advocacy and the passage of Nigeriaโs Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018, millions still face daily obstacles, from inaccessible health centres and non-inclusive schools to unfavourable policy gaps and limited participation in governance. The Voice PWD CoP Network wishes to categorically state that, โDisability inclusion is neither a favour nor charity but a matter of human rights, social justice, and smart national investment. When persons with disabilities have equal access to opportunities, the entire society benefits from increased creativity, stronger communities, and more resilient economies.
This year, we are demanding accountability from government, private institutions, and development actors to mainstream disability inclusion in all policies and programs. Backed by the latest evidence from Nigeriaโs 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey showing lower school attendance and poorer health outcomes among children with disabilities, the Voice PWD CoP Network urges all levels of government, private sector, and civil society to move beyond rhetoric.
Real inclusion demands accessible infrastructure, effective laws, innovative technology, and investment in leadership by persons with disabilities, especially women and girls, who face double discrimination.
The disability community urgently calls on the Nigerian government to:
- Ensure full accessibility of public infrastructure by modifying government offices, health facilities, and public transportation in accordance with the National Disability Act 2018.
- Effectively implement the Inclusive Education Policy 2023 to include children with disabilities into mainstream educational systems.
- Expand economic opportunities and vocational training for persons with disabilities, and rigorously enforce the 5% minimum employment quota as stipulated in the National Disability Act 2018.
- Domesticate, strengthen and fund disability-inclusive policies at state and national levels.
Through its national learning community, advocacy campaigns, and capacity-strengthening initiatives, Voice PWD CoP continues to support organizations, activists, and young leaders who are working to dismantle discrimination and promote rights-based inclusion. As part of this yearโs IDPD activities, the CoP will convene nationwide conversations on:
- Bridging the digital divide and building inclusive online communities
- Inclusive digital communities and closing the digital divide
- Promote safer online and physical environments for women and girls with disabilities
- Amplifying the voices and lived experiences of persons with disabilities, especially women and girls with disabilities in decision-making space.
The CoP calls on government agencies, diplomatic missions, civil society, donors, partners, media platforms, and the private sector to take concrete, sustained action that drives real inclusion and meaningful change for persons with disabilities. Real inclusion requires accessible infrastructure, inclusive programming, effective laws, meaningful consultation, and long-term investment in the empowerment and leadership of persons with disabilities.
About VOICE Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Community of Practice (CoP) Network
The VOICE PWD CoP Network, an initiative of the linking and learning component of the VOICE Project in Nigeria and supported by Oxfam, is a coalition of non-profit organizations dedicated to mutual learning, advocacy, and amplifying the voices of persons with disabilities (PWDs). The network provides a collaborative space for the disability community to connect, share experiences, and innovate solutions to the numerous challenges PWDs face with a strong focus on inclusive education, healthcare, employment, climate action, and economic empowerment. Since its establishment in 2021, the CoP has remained committed to advancing the rights, dignity, and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigeria by leveraging inclusive legal frameworks, building capacity among PWDs and stakeholders, providing accessible services, and partnering with key stakeholders to raise awareness and drive systemic change.
eSigned:
Favour Afokeoghene Adjara
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For More Enquiries:
Email: connect@voicepwdcop.org.ng
Phone: +234808181749
Websit: www.voicepwdcop.org.ng
Facebook / Instagram / X / LinkedIn: @VoicePWDCoP
Download Press Release, Download the Virtual Conference Report.
#IDPD2025 #InternationalDayofPWDs
