By Mohamed Fofanah.
The Minister of Social Welfare, Madam Baindu Dassama-Kamara has formally inaugurated the first National Consortium for the Enhancement of Persons with Disabilities (NACEPED) as part of efforts to address disability issues in the country.
Speaking at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown Tuesday, Madam Dassama-Kamara said the Government of Sierra Leone appreciates the contributions of persons with disabilities, and the development partners on the efforts to work with, and provide for citizens living with some medical limitation.
Mrs Dassama-Kamara said President Julius Maada Bio has committed all ministries, departments and agencies to continue to identify, remove, and prevent all barriers that still exist and increase the opportunities available to persons with disabilities to build a fairer, inclusive, and accessible society for everyone.
“The Government of Sierra Leone remains committed to doing everything it can to support persons with disabilities. With the enactment of the persons with Disabilities 2011 and ratification of the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the government will continue to work toward the realization of an accessible Sierra Leone,” said the Minister.
She said the National Consortium for the Enhancement of Persons with Disabilities was created as a national strategy of experienced and articulated people representing various professions from different background to advise the Government on how it could put a disability lens on its emergency, development and human rights responses to ensure the real-time lived experience of Sierra Leoneans with disabilities are considered.
She added: “We have made, and we will continue to make unprecedented investments in cash transfer to vulnerable, disabled, inclusive free quality education, livelihoods, employment and governance participation to improve accessibility and standard of living in communities and workplaces.”
The Minister said the Government will implement the Disability Act 2011, the UNCRPD, and develop an ambitious National Disability Inclusion Action Plan in a bid to improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans living with disabilities, focusing on key areas including financial security, and employment.
“We will also present and advance Sierra Leone’s candidacy for the 2022 election of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We will continue to work closely with our partners to address the unique challenges faced by persons with disabilities around the world, and to ensure their full inclusion and participation in society…. Together and by this consortium, we can remove and prevent barriers to accessibility and expand on growth potentials and make a difference with and for people with disabilities.”
For her part, the Country Director of Handicap International, Ms Pauline Nadim Ducos commended the efforts of the Government of Sierra Leone on inclusive education for its “radical inclusion policy” which she described as “unique in the continent.”
