GFD President Shares Ghana’s Experience at Africa Disability Forum in Kenya

Date: September 5, 2024, Nairobi, Kenya.

The President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD), Mr. Joseph Atsu Homadzi, participated in the 2024 General Assembly Meeting of the Africa Disability Forum (ADF) held in Nairobi, Kenya. The event, which also served as a pre-summit for the 2025 Global Disability Summit (GDS), was designed to consolidate key issues to be presented at the summit, co-hosted by Jordan and Germany.

At the General Assembly, held on September 1, 2024, delegates successfully elected new executives to lead the ADF for the next four years. Among the elected was Mr. Jeleel Oberon Odoom, Executive Director of Inclusion Ghana—a GFD member organization—who was unanimously chosen as the new Secretary-General of the ADF. The event concluded with the Africa Regional Pre-Summit on September 5, aimed at gathering critical issues for the upcoming Global Disability Summit in 2025.

As a panelist at the pre-summit event on September 5, Mr. Homadzi presented Ghana’s experiences in participating in the Global Disability Summits of 2018 and 2022, with Ghana serving as a co-host alongside Norway in the latter. He highlighted the significant steps taken by the GFD and other Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Ghana to ensure maximum participation and representation at these global events.

In his presentation, Mr. Homadzi emphasized the importance of focusing on three key areas: pre-summit preparations, activities during the summit, and post-summit follow-up to ensure the commitments made by governments and agencies are implemented.

Preparations for the 2018 Global Disability Summit

Mr. Homadzi shared that ahead of the 2018 Global Disability Summit held in London, the GFD spearheaded numerous activities, including stakeholder consultations. These consultations engaged various stakeholders to identify the pressing challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Ghana. This approach ensured that the voices and priorities of persons with disabilities were adequately represented in advocacy efforts and in influencing the commitments made by the Ghanaian government.

The GFD also led engagements with the government, collaborating closely with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection. Through this partnership, the GFD presented critical issues and raised awareness to secure government commitments aimed at improving disability inclusion. At the summit, GFD representatives connected with international stakeholders to foster meaningful partnerships. Following the summit, the GFD published the government’s commitments in accessible formats and launched public awareness campaigns, intensifying efforts to advocate for amendments to disability legislation—one of the key commitments made by the government.

2022 Global Disability Summit

For the 2022 Global Disability Summit, co-hosted by Ghana and Norway, the GFD expanded its influence and collaborations to ensure active participation by OPDs. The pre-summit efforts included stakeholder mapping and the mobilization of OPDs, in partnership with key entities such as the United Nations office in Ghana, Ghanaian civil society organizations (CSOs), and the National Council on Persons with Disabilities. This collaboration aimed to secure specific commitments from Ghana at the summit.

During the 2022 summit, GFD organized several key events, including:

– Side Events: In partnership with Sightsavers, GFD hosted side events to promote the ratification of the Africa Disability Protocol, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation on disability rights.

– Civil Society Engagement: GFD played an integral role in the Civil Society Reference Group, contributing to the summit’s agenda. A GFD representative delivered the Civil Society Declaration at the event.

– Creative Engagements: GFD also co-hosted a virtual live concert with IDA and Atlas Alliance, featuring musicians from Ghana and Norway, to raise awareness and celebrate progress in disability rights and inclusion.

Post-Summit Accountability

Concluding his remarks at the panel discussion, Mr. Homadzi stressed the importance of devoting attention to post-summit activities. He called for an aggressive campaign to ensure that the commitments made during the summit are translated into an actionable roadmap with a robust system to monitor the progress of their implementation.