NCPWD's Gufwan Advocates for Disability Inclusion in Security

Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), presented a significant position on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the ECOWAS security sector at the Regional Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Democratic Security Sector Reform and Governance in Dakar, Senegal. The dialogue focused on advancing inclusive institutions and human security in the digital age.

Gufwan raised critical questions regarding how ECOWAS can recognize persons with disabilities as rights holders and contributors to peace. He outlined three urgent realities: exclusion from policy, high vulnerability of approximately 60 million persons with disabilities in West Africa, and gaps in data and infrastructure.

He argued that security must be viewed through the lenses of human rights, democratic governance, and the active role of persons with disabilities. Gufwan stressed the need for reforms that address barriers preventing access to protection and decision-making in security governance.