GUINEA’S MINISTER OF WOMEN, FAMILY AND SOCIAL SOLIDARITY REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO DISABILITY INCLUSION AS ECOWAS CONVENES WORKSHOP ON ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

The Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity of the Republic of Guinea, H.E. Mrs Patricia Adeline Lamah, has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to advancing disability inclusion and improving access to assistive technologies for children with disabilities as the ECOWAS Commission convened a two-day Advocacy and Sensitization Workshop on the ECOWAS Programme for the Provision of Assistive Devices to Children with Disabilities in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, from 23 to 24 June 2026. Bringing together organizations of persons with disabilities, development partners and technical stakeholders, The workshop seeks to identify priority assistive technology needs, strengthen disability-inclusive data systems and support the assessment and validation of national needs that will inform subsequent interventions under the regional programme.

Delivering the introductory remarks on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, the Principal Programme Officer for Social Affairs, Dr Alves Fernando D’Almada Jorge, described the ECOWAS Programme for the Provision of Assistive Devices to Children with Disabilities as a flagship programme of the Commission’s Humanitarian and Social Affairs Directorate. He recalled that the initiative builds on a regional diagnostic study conducted in 2021, which revealed persistent discrimination, exclusion and barriers faced by persons with disabilities across West Africa, leading to the adoption of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan on Disability Inclusion (2022 – 2030).

Officially opening the workshop on behalf of H.E. the Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity, the Special Adviser on Vulnerable Persons at the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity, Mrs Aïssatou Diallo, reaffirmed the Government of Guinea’s commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in line with national, regional and international commitments. She stressed that access to assistive technologies constitutes a critical lever for ensuring the inclusion, autonomy and full participation of children with disabilities in social, educational and economic life, while calling for strengthened collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society organizations and communities.

In his remarks, the Acting Resident Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Guinea, Mr Salifou Iliasu, reaffirmed the Commission’s unwavering commitment to improving the well-being of vulnerable populations throughout the region. He emphasized that regional integration can only be fully realized when all citizens, particularly vulnerable groups, are fully included in development processes and reiterated ECOWAS’ commitment to supporting Member States in promoting social inclusion and human development.

Representing organizations of persons with disabilities, the President of the Guinean Federation for the Promotion of Associations of Persons with Disabilities (FEGUIPAH), Mr François Moriba Dopavogui, welcomed the ECOWAS initiative and commended the Commission for placing disability inclusion high on the regional agenda. Reaffirming the Federation’s readiness to support implementation efforts, he stressed that meaningful inclusion can only be achieved through the active participation of persons with disabilities, in line with the principle of “Nothing for Us Without Us.”

Speaking on behalf of UNICEF Guinea, Ms Maddalena Bertolotti commended ECOWAS for championing an initiative that places children with disabilities at the centre of regional social policy. She emphasized that assistive devices are not merely equipment, but essential tools that enable children to access education, communicate, participate in social life and live with dignity and independence. She further reaffirmed UNICEF’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with ECOWAS and national stakeholders through the sharing of global innovations, expertise and inclusive programming approaches.

Over the course of the workshop, participants are expected to validate priority assistive technology needs, strengthen disability-inclusive data collection methodologies and agree on concrete actions aimed at improving access to assistive devices and related services for children with disabilities across Guinea.

The workshop builds on a series of preparatory engagements undertaken by the ECOWAS delegation in Conakry. Ahead of the official opening, a delegation led by Dr Alves Fernando D’Almada Jorge paid a courtesy visit to H.E. the Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity and held coordination meetings with the Acting Resident Representative of the President of the ECOWAS Commission in Guinea, Mr Salifou Iliasu, to ensure strategic alignment, strengthen national ownership and facilitate the effective implementation of the mission.

The workshop forms part of the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Programme on Disability Inclusion and reflects the Commission’s broader commitment to advancing social inclusion, human dignity and inclusive development across West Africa. Building on the outcomes of the mission, the next phase will focus on consolidating Guinea’s validated priority needs to inform the formal national submission to the ECOWAS Commission and guide subsequent procurement and delivery processes under the regional programme.