An Innovation and Technology Policy Adviser, Mr Jide Awe, has advocated greater integration of accessibility features into Nigeria’s digital platforms for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
Awe, the founder of Jidaw.com, said in an interview with reporters on Monday in Abuja that this would promote greater participation of PWDs in the digital space.
He noted that although some progress had been made, accessibility remained limited in areas such as banking and government platforms.
While some banking applications now support screen readers and certain government digital platforms have introduced accessibility features, such measures are still the exception rather than the standard, he said.
According to him, most Nigerian websites, applications and public digital services are developed without disability inclusion as a core requirement from the outset.
Awe said accessibility is often treated as an afterthought or an additional feature introduced later for competitiveness, advocacy or compliance.
He described the challenge as both technical and cultural, noting that accessibility is still regarded as optional rather than foundational.
Developers, designers and institutions often build digital products first and consider the needs of persons with disabilities later, depending on available resources or pressure from advocacy groups, he said.
The technology policy adviser warned that the absence of complaints from persons with disabilities should not be mistaken for inclusion; rather, it often means they have been excluded from the digital experience.
He identified limited enforcement of existing accessibility standards as another obstacle to meaningful digital inclusion.
Awe said achieving sustainable change requires shared responsibility among government, industry players and PWDs, with government and industry carrying the greater responsibility.
“The government can use regulatory frameworks, accessibility requirements and public procurement standards to establish expectations for institutions and service providers,” Awe said.
He added that private-sector platforms shape a significant part of Nigerians’ everyday digital experiences and therefore have a critical role in achieving digital inclusivity.
PWDs should be actively involved from the design and policy stages rather than being consulted only after products and services have been developed, he stressed.
“In my experience, the strongest transformations happen when the people closest to a problem are involved in shaping the solution. We need to ‘develop with them,’ not ‘develop to them,’” he said.
