Disability Inclusion in ECOWAS’s Peace, Security and Prosperity Agenda

The document argues that ECOWAS fails to systematically include persons with disabilities (PWDs) in its core security and development agendas, despite the existence of a Regional Action Plan on Disability Inclusion (2022-2030). It highlights a critical lack of harmonised disability data, the exclusion of PWDs from emergency responses in the Central Sahel, and barriers to free movement caused by biometric systems and discrimination. The author recommends establishing a regional Disability Data Initiative and a Disability-Inclusive Crisis Framework to move from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based model of governance.

• ECOWAS lacks a harmonised database or reporting mechanism for disability in West Africa, which prevents the design of inclusive policies and the equitable distribution of resources. While countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone use the Washington Group Short Set for national surveys, these efforts remain fragmented and inconsistent.
• Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are systematically excluded from ECOWAS's core peace and security instruments, including the 1999 Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Security and the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF).

APA

Zandam, H. (2025). Disability Inclusion in ECOWAS’s Peace, Security and Prosperity Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/disability-inclusion-in-ecowass-peace-security-and-prosperity-agenda

Chicago

Zandam, Hussain. Disability Inclusion in ECOWAS’s Peace, Security and Prosperity Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2025. https://afripoli.org/disability-inclusion-in-ecowass-peace-security-and-prosperity-agenda.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zandam |first1=Hussain |title=Disability Inclusion in ECOWAS’s Peace, Security and Prosperity Agenda |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=14 November 2025 |url=https://afripoli.org/disability-inclusion-in-ecowass-peace-security-and-prosperity-agenda |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zandam2025disability, author = {Zandam, Hussain}, title = {{Disability Inclusion in ECOWAS’s Peace, Security and Prosperity Agenda}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://afripoli.org/disability-inclusion-in-ecowass-peace-security-and-prosperity-agenda}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }