Abuja, 15th December, 2018–The Commission of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for Member States to ensure digital accessibility for all Community citizens with emphasis on Persons with Disabilities (PwD).
This was the outcome of a two-day validation workshop on regional Information and Communications Technology (ICT) accessibility policy.
In his remarks on behalf of the Commissioner for Telecoms and Information Technology, the Acting Director of Digital Economy and Post, Dr. Raphael Koffi stated that the region is making giant strides in the right direction as governments around the world are exploring and implementing various approaches to ensure universal access to digital information, particularly for PwD.
He noted that the accessibility of ICT to community citizens will play a crucial role in the achievement of the Commissions’ Vision 2020 which will move ECOWAS from a community of States to an ECOWAS of people with integration being a fundamental block to improving the socio-economic development of the region.
To this end, the delegates validated the ECOWAS ICT accessibility policy and strategy and reaffirmed their commitment towards its full implementation when approved by Ministers in charge of ICT in the region.
The workshop was organized with the technical support of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office for Africa.
Source: ECOWAS Commission