LAGOS: 1000 people to benefit as disability-friendly digital hub launched

About 1000 people living with disabilities are expected to benefit from the launch of a Disability-friendly Digital Hub by Project Enable Africa, Access bank.

Speaking at the launch, the United States Government through the Alumni Engagement Innovation Funds, explained that promoting disability rights was an integral part of the promotion of human rights.

Acting United States Consul General, Darcy Zotter, added that discrimination against people with disabilities was not only unjust but hindered economic development and limited democracy and social cohesion.

“We are happy to identify with this initiative which seeks to promote the empowerment and social inclusion of persons living with disabilities in Nigeria.

“Through this technology and entrepreneurship hub, over 250 people with disabilities will have free access to inclusive technology. An additional 20 young persons with disabilities will be trained and mentored in various technology-based skills at the hub”, Zotter said.

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In similar vein, Olalekan Owonikoko, project manager, Project Enable, explained that the technology and entrepreneurship hub hoped to promote, empower and socially include persons with disabilities.

He added that it provided volunteer opportunities to young people with disabilities while serving as a centre for their continuous development in entrepreneurship.

“The plan is to have the hubs across Nigeria and Africa at large, thereby, touching more lives of people living with disability. In 2018, we hope to train over 1000 people, at first, we will be training the first batch of 20, who will be taught in a way that they can train more people. The hub is opened to anybody with disability and has passion for ICT”, he said.

One of the selected twenty (20) young persons with disabilities as Fellows who will be the first beneficiaries of the training opportunities at the Hub, Busayo Jeremiah, a student of the University of Lagos expected to develop his skills in website programming, believes that such a hub is apt, considering the challenges faced by people living with disabilities in Nigeria.

“I think this will give me a better leverage on the residual knowledge I have and improve my knowledge on other things that will be taught so I can have an in-depth knowledge”, Jeremiah said.

The initiative is led by Olusola Owonikoko, a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow and 2014 Fellow of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative (CYFI).

Owonikoko expressed the driving principle of the organisation which is that the rights of everyone, irrespective of their disabilities, deserves to be protected, identifying equal access to ICT education and opportunities as one such right.

He also also appealed to the Nigerian Senate to pass the disability bill so as to provide a national framework for the protection of disability rights and social inclusion.

 

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