Accra: The Network of Women with Disabilities, Africa (NEWDA), has intensified its advocacy efforts, urging Ghana to ratify the African Disability Protocol (ADP) as an essential move to safeguard the rights and dignity of women with disabilities. This initiative commenced in Accra at an inception and stakeholder engagement workshop organized in collaboration with the Women with Disability Development and Advocacy Organisation (WODAO).
According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Veronica Denyo Kofiedu, Co-Convener of NEWDA, explained that the project aims to enhance coordination among stakeholders and reinforce Ghana's commitment to ratifying the protocol. "The project seeks to bring together key stakeholders to strengthen coordination, enhance national advocacy, and advance Ghana's commitment toward the ratification of the African Disability Protocol," she stated.
The initiative is set to foster collaboration among government institutions, civil society organizations, disability groups, and media actors to ensure women with disabilities are meaningfully included in national policy discussions. Madam Kofiedu emphasized the need for sustained collaboration to ensure inclusion and equal opportunities for women with disabilities, stating, "Together, we are building a stronger movement for inclusive development."
Prof. Augustina Naami, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana and Co-Convener of NEWDA, highlighted the network's formation as a response to the lack of a unified platform for women with disabilities in Ghana and Africa. "NEWDA will create this platform to empower women with disabilities to collectively advocate for their human rights, amplify their voices, and promote inclusion, equality, and social justice," she said.
Prof. Naami pointed out the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women with disabilities, limiting their participation in education, employment, leadership, and governance. "Research indicates that compared with their male counterparts and women without disabilities, women with disabilities are less likely to have education, more likely to have higher unemployment rates, and more likely to work in the informal sector," she explained.
She further noted the increased vulnerability of women with disabilities to gender-based violence and abuse, stating, "Women with disabilities are approximately three times more likely to experience violence than women without disabilities."
Despite Ghana's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2012 and the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 2006 (Act 715), Prof. Naami emphasized that existing frameworks do not adequately address the unique challenges faced by women and girls with disabilities. "The African Disability Protocol recognizes the vulnerabilities of women with disabilities, but it has yet to be ratified by the Government of Ghana," she added.
A representative from the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the ratification process has progressed to cabinet level and will soon move to Parliament for consideration. "When Ghana signs on to a treaty or protocol, it must be incorporated into domestic law. The process begins with cabinet approval before it proceeds to Parliament for ratification," the representative explained, expressing optimism that the process would advance soon.
The workshop also detailed a one-year national project by NEWDA aimed at strengthening the women with disabilities movement and raising public awareness of the protocol through consultations, leadership training, media engagements, and digital advocacy campaigns. The project, scheduled to run from November 2025 to October 2026, seeks to engage Parliament, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, CHRAJ, disability organizations, and the media to build momentum for the protocol's ratification.