Sierra Leone has acknowledged the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in promoting the rights of disabled persons, with a particular focus on children. Representing Sierra Leone’s Minister of Social Welfare, John Conteh, the Acting Director of Social and Religious Affairs, expressed appreciation for ECOWAS's program providing assistive devices for disabled children in the region. This initiative aligns with Sierra Leone's strategies for social inclusion, according to Conteh.
During the advocacy and awareness workshop launched on March 28, 2025, in Freetown, Conteh described the program as "directly linked to our social inclusion strategies.” Dr. Alves D’almada Jorge Fernando, ECOWAS Senior Program Officer for Social Affairs, highlighted the continent's significant population of 80 million disabled individuals, noting the hurdles of stigmatization, marginalization, and discrimination they face.
He also referenced the ECOWAS Action Plan for the Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities, describing it as a step towards Vision 2050, contributing to a more inclusive ECOWAS. This meeting aimed to confirm the terms for supplying assistive devices to disabled children in Sierra Leone.
As per UNICEF, around 15% of children in West and Central Africa, from the global pool of nearly 240 million disabled children, are impacted by disabilities. Joseph Alieu Kamara, President of the Sierra Leone Union of Disabled Persons (SLUDI), thanked ECOWAS, emphasizing that disabled children deserve education and social well-being.
Sightsavers' Sierra Leone Country Manager, Tiangay Gondoe, joined Kamara in expressing support for ECOWAS's program. The aim is to promote comprehensive participation and inclusion of disabled children. Sierra Leone, following Nigeria, Togo, and Benin, is the fourth state to benefit from this initiative, with Guinea-Bissau next in line. The program's second phase, costing $300,000, seeks to provide functional appliances for disabled children to bolster their inclusion and mitigate vulnerability.
Prior to the workshop, the Minister of Social Protection, Melrose Karminty, and Harouna Moussa, ECOWAS Resident Representative, were briefed by an ECOWAS delegation on the program's planning. Delegates included Dr. Alves D’almada Jorge Fernando, Abimbola Oyelo-hunnu, and Liberor Doscof Aho from the ECOWAS Commission.
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