At the opening ceremony of the 2025 DRF-Grantees Convening held on Monday, November 10, 2025, at Exclusive Hotel, Wuye, Abuja, Dr. (Mrs.) Bisi Bamishe, Executive Director of the Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAN), delivered a compelling presentation calling on governments at all levels to honour their Global Disability Summit (GDS) commitments and strengthen frameworks for inclusive advocacy.
Dr. Bamishe began her remarks by appreciating the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) for its continued support, which enabled the Albinism Association of Nigeria to lead other marginalized groups in drafting Nigeria’s GDS commitments and participating actively throughout the process. She noted that this inclusive engagement represented a major turnaround in Nigeria’s disability advocacy landscape and expressed hope that such progress would be sustained beyond the summit.
Highlighting the need for effective advocacy with a robust framework, Dr. Bamishe emphasized that improved awareness and sensitization across all levels of governance would remain a best practice for achieving meaningful inclusion. According to her, such structures would “awaken the attention and desire of persons with disabilities to participate fully in national development.”
In her assertion, governments at all levels must be held accountable if they fail to implement the commitments pledged at the Global Disability Summit. She stressed that timely and effective implementation would empower Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to have a stronger collective voice capable of driving positive change.
Dr. Bamishe concluded by urging OPDs and advocates to fully engage all available advocacy mechanisms, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Global Disability Summit (GDS), and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). “We have no option for now,” she said, “than to engage fully and strategically through these platforms to ensure accountability and sustained progress.”
