Africa-Press – Gambia. Stakeholders from the disability community, representing various Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and government ministries, on Thursday convened at the Gambia Organisation for the Visually Impaired (GOVI) Resource Centre in Kanifing to review the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2021.
The sensitisation forum, organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare in collaboration with the National Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities (NACPWD), provided updates on progress made and challenges encountered since the Act came into force.
Opening the session, Principal Social Welfare Officer Modou Suwareh said the meeting was meant to brief stakeholders on practical steps taken to enforce the Act. He reminded participants that the Ministry remained the custodian of the law and was tasked with coordinating its implementation across all sectors.
Suwareh outlined key milestones, including the gazetting of the Act in 2023, the establishment of the National Advisory Council chaired by His Worship Muhammed Krubally, and the refurbishment of a permanent Secretariat in Banjul scheduled for inauguration on Saturday. He added that the Ministry disbursed D4 million last year from the Disability Fund to 10 OPDs, the Gambia Federation of the Disabled (GFD), and the Advisory Council.
He further disclosed that another D4 million has been approved for 2025, following a nationwide assessment to determine priority needs. “We would like to support everyone, but due to limited funds, we will prioritise organisations that did not benefit last year,” he said.
Other initiatives highlighted included the rehabilitation of the National Rehabilitation Centre in Banjul, in partnership with Stand (formerly Start4Africa), and plans to establish a rehabilitation unit at Bansang Hospital by January 2026.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, Senior State Counsel Fatoumatta Drammeh praised The Gambia’s progress in strengthening legal protections for persons with disabilities. She noted that the Act followed the country’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016, making it a landmark legal framework for disability rights.
“This law was long overdue,” she said. “It ensures equality before the law and full participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of national development.” Counsel Drammeh emphasised rights related to employment, accessibility, and participation, while urging OPDs to keep engaging government institutions to ensure full compliance.
NACPWD Chairman His Worship Muhammed Krubally called for sustained collaboration among government agencies, OPDs, and development partners. Mr. Krubally, The Gambia’s only visually impaired magistrate, stressed the need for enhanced resources and technical capacity to strengthen disability inclusion.
The forum also heard from Sainey Camara, Acting Executive Director of the GFD, who underscored capacity building, rehabilitation, and inclusion as central pillars of the Act. He noted persistent challenges in education and economic empowerment, with only about three percent of persons with disabilities completing basic schooling.
Camara announced that a national disability survey, the first since 1998, will be conducted in 2026 with World Bank support. He also outlined the four pillars of rehabilitation: economic empowerment, personal independence, provision of assistive devices, and social inclusion.
He stressed that accessibility remains a major challenge but is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals’ pledge to “Leave No One Behind.”
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
