|An MoU has being signed between the ADF and African Disability Alliance to advance advocacy for the ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol.||A panellist checking his notes|A woman with a mic speaks while an sign language interpreter interprets what she says next to her|Kennedy Kalunga, Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, Special Duties, Zambia|ADF Chair, Idriss Maiga|Photograph of attendants of the conference facing a panel of speakers.||The camera is focused on one man at the conference listening to the panellists with language translation headphones on his head|||A big group of attendees standing together posing for a picture.||Mercy Wanjau, Secretary to the Cabinet of the Republic of Kenya standing with Kennedy Kaluga

Insights and Highlights from the African Disability Conference and Pre-Summit

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Event Date: 2 September 2024

Event Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Event Category: Inclusive Finance

African Regional Pre-Summit

The African Disability Conference, which began on September 2, 2024, in Nairobi, marked a historic milestone as Africa’s first OPD-led event. This was followed by the African Regional Pre-Summit on September 5. Hosted by the African Disability Forum (ADF) in collaboration with the International Disability Alliance (IDA), Sightsavers International, and other partners, the conference brought together representatives of organizations of persons with disabilities from over 38 countries across the continent, showcasing the rich diversity and vitality of Africa’s disability movement.

These gatherings, as the first regional events leading up to the Global Disability Summit (GDS) 2025 in Berlin, were vital for reflecting on progress made, advocating for change, setting priorities, and encouraging increased investment in disability inclusion.

The conference, themed “Persons with Disabilities in a Post-Pandemic World: Redefining the Inclusive Development & Humanitarian Agenda in Africa,” addressed a wide array of pressing issues. The conference unpacked different thematic areas including regional human rights instruments with a focus on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the African Disability Protocol), poverty and inequality, inclusive social protection, access to education and economic opportunities, inclusive humanitarian assistance, climate action, gender inclusion, inclusive health and community inclusion.

An MoU has being signed between the ADF and African Disability Alliance to advance advocacy for the ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol.
An MoU has been signed between the ADF and African Disability Alliance to advance advocacy for the ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol.

Key highlights of the conference included:

Outcome of the Conference

The three-day discussions were consolidated into a Declaration outlining the key priorities for the region and calling for action from government and development partners. Stay tuned for more details.

Our Commitment

African Disability Forum (ADF) shall keep its momentum to represent persons with disabilities in Africa at regional and global arenas and to voice their concerns. Guided by the Declaration and the Pre-summit Outcome Document- we commit to unifying and amplifying the voice of persons with disabilities, their families, and representative organizations at national, regional, and international levels. Fostering partnership and collaboration, building capacity at both internal and members levels as well as adhering to stewardship shall have paramount importance and remain as core engagement in realizing its stated objectives.

Media coverage

The event was extensively covered by media as outlined below:

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