The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has convened a 3-day National Stakeholders Workshop aimed at designing a National Disability Management Information System (NDMIS) to improve disability data collection and governance in Nigeria.
The workshop, which was held at Stratton Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja, from 18th to 20th May 2026, brought together stakeholders from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners, and organisations within the disability community.
The workshop featured technical presentations, the adoption of operational models, and concluding group sessions aimed at finalising the framework for implementation of the proposed system.
Speaking during the workshop, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, noted that Nigeria’s disability data ecosystem remains fragmented, largely estimate-based, and insufficiently integrated into national administrative and statistical systems.
He identified key challenges to include weak disability-disaggregated data across MDAs, limited use of internationally recognised measurement tools such as the Washington Group Questions, under-registration of persons with disabilities, absence of a harmonised national database, and poor interoperability between sectoral data systems.
“These gaps mean that millions of Nigerians with disabilities remain undercounted, underserved, and excluded from development outcomes,” he said.
He emphasised that data remains central to inclusive planning, stating that the objective of the workshop was to design a system capable of addressing long-standing structural weaknesses in disability statistics and policy implementation.
He stated that the proposed NDMIS will establish a secure national disability database, harmonise data across MDAs, strengthen monitoring of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and improve planning, budgeting, and policy formulation.
The system is also expected to enhance Nigeria’s reporting obligations under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Gufwan added that the workshop would produce a national disability data collection tool aligned with the Washington Group Questions, as well as a phased implementation roadmap for the system’s rollout.
The Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Mr. Idowu Iwere, said the workshop was designed as a technical co-creation platform for MDAs, NGOs, and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to harmonise data systems and strengthen evidence-based policymaking.
Participants included the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Equal Opportunities, Hon. Abba Isah; representatives of ECOWAS; the National Bureau of Statistics; federal ministries; and international development partners such as Sightsavers, GIZ, and CBM International.
Development partners pledged continued support toward improving disaggregated disability data collection and strengthening inclusive governance systems in Nigeria.
