The Economic Community of West African States Commission, ECOWAS has convened an advocacy and sensitisation workshop in Banjul, The Gambia, under its regional programme aimed at providing assistive devices to children with disabilities.
The workshop seeks to raise awareness and strengthen regional support for improving the lives of children with disabilities across West Africa through increased access to assistive devices.
The sensitisation workshop brings together government authorities, organiations of persons with disabilities and development partners to consolidate national ownership, identify priority needs and advance inclusive, people centered service delivery in line with the Community’s vision of an “ECOWAS of the People.”
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The opening session established a clear policy and operational trajectory for the initiative.
In his remarks, the Principal Programme Officer for Social Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Fernando Jorge Alves D’Almada said that “the programme is anchored in the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan on Disability Inclusion (2022 – 2030) and contributes to strengthening social inclusion within the broader framework of Vision 2050.”
He emphasised that “children with disabilities continue to face structural barriers, including stigma, exclusion from education systems and limited access to essential services.”
He stressed that assistive devices constitute a critical enabler for enhancing mobility, autonomy and full participation in society.
The Gambian Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Mrs. Fatou Kinteh, represented by the Director of Social Welfare, Mr. Alaye Barra reaffirmed the Government’s firm commitment to advancing the rights, dignity and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Kinteh stressed that access to assistive devices is fundamental to ensuring equitable opportunities for children with disabilities.
He called for strengthened national systems for identification, assessment and provision, supported by existing policy frameworks, including the Persons with Disabilities Act 2021.
On his part, the President of the Gambian Federation of the Disabled, Mr. Muhammed Krubally emphasised the importance of inclusive and participatory approaches, saying “interventions must be grounded in the lived realities of persons with disabilities.”
He highlighted that “access to appropriate assistive devices is critical to enabling children with disabilities participate actively in society, calling for strengthened collaboration to ensure responsive and sustainable solutions.
These strategic orientations guided the technical deliberations that followed. Participants—including organisations of persons with disabilities, government institutions, and development partners—reviewed the programme framework, shared national experiences, and identified priority assistive devices needed at the country level.
Discussions underscored the need for strengthened data systems, clearer technical specifications and enhanced coordination mechanisms to support effective implementation.
The ECOWAS delegation subsequently paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare of The Gambia, Mrs. Fatou Kinteh, where discussions focused on aligning the regional initiative with national priorities, policy frameworks and existing institutional mechanisms.
The Banjul engagement constitutes a critical step in the progressive scaling-up of the ECOWAS Programme for the Provision of Assistive Devices to Children with Disabilities across Member States.
It forms part of a broader regional deployment that will continue in Dakar, Senegal, as the Commission advances a coherent, region-wide approach to promoting inclusion, strengthening social protection systems and ensuring that no child is left behind in the integration process.
The Commission ECOWAS is implementing critical and strategic programmes that will deepen cohesion and progressively eliminate identified barriers to full integration. In this way, the estimated 300 million citizens of the community can ultimately take ownership for the realization of the new vision of moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity to All by 2050.