ADF History

A consultative meeting on the creation of ADF took place on 28–29 November 2012 at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa. The meeting was organised by the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, supported by UN DESA in partnership with UN ECA, African disability organisations, academic institutions and development partners.

Participants welcomed and supported the initiative of the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, Mr. Shuaib Chalklen, to establish a continental disability forum led by OPDs to advance rights and inclusion.

An Interim Working Group of ten OPD leaders was established to prepare proposals on organisational structure, membership, priority areas and formal establishment.

A planning meeting of the ADF Interim Working Group took place from 13–15 December 2013 in Addis Ababa, supported by the Abilis Foundation of Finland.

The meeting reviewed options and reached consensus on the organisational structure and functioning of ADF, its immediate priorities, and plans for formal creation to serve as a unified representative voice for OPDs and persons with disabilities across Africa.

More than 40 regional and national OPD leaders from across Africa gathered from 17–19 November 2014 at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa to formally establish the African Disability Forum, coordinated by the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability.

Leaders approved a draft Constitution, determined membership and governance structures, and planned implementation steps. Support was provided by UN DESA in collaboration with AUC, UN ECA, the Abilis Foundation and the Norwegian Association of the Disabled.

Delegates from 30 member DPOs held the first ADF General Assembly on 31 October–1 November 2015 at the Desmond Tutu Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Assembly formally adopted the ADF Constitution and Bylaws, elected the first Executive Council members, and set priority activities for the next four years.

The event followed the UN DESA-sponsored Forum on “Disability Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development,” held in cooperation with UN-Habitat.

The Interim Working Group expanded to 11 members across various African nations to undertake legal organisational registration in Ethiopia and guide work leading up to formal Executive Council elections.

Initial operations were backed by a US$200,000 grant from the UN Partnership Fund for Promoting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, secured via UNDP.

On 15 March 2017, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, establishing ADF headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The African Union circulated an official letter to all AU member states recognising ADF as the continental representative entity for persons with disabilities and their associations in Africa.

This action served as formal recognition of ADF as an independent umbrella body of OPDs across the continent.

The second ADF General Assembly took place from 31 October to 1 November 2019 in Niamey, Niger.

Elections were conducted for Executive Council members. Founder and former Chairperson Mr. Shuaib Chalklen delivered an address reviewing the history and vision behind the establishment of the Forum.

Following Ethiopian government policy changes that shifted NGO and civil society registrations to the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), ADF formally re-registered on 6 June 2023 under certificate number 6902.

The third General Assembly of the African Disability Forum convened on 1 September 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Key proceedings included the official election of the incoming ADF Executive Council leadership.

ADF obtained official Observer Status during the 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), held from 15–21 October 2025 in Banjul, The Gambia.