Get Guardian on GoogleOsun State has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to pilot a professional advancement programme for women with disabilities, with an ambitious target of empowering 120,000 women nationwide and extending the initiative to all 54 African countries by 2030.
The initiative, known as The VOICE Initiative, is being implemented through a partnership between the Osun State Government and the Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF), with an initial cohort of 64 women selected for the pilot programme.
Announcing the partnership in Osogbo, UNESCO REF said the initiative was designed to equip women with disabilities with professional and digital skills to secure dignified, independent and financially sustainable employment in the global digital economy.
The first phase will begin with data verification of the selected participants on October 21, followed by a virtual orientation, a three-week induction and a six-week professional training programme.
Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals, Bankole Omisore, said the partnership aligned with Governor Ademola Adeleke’s commitment to ensuring the welfare and inclusion of every citizen.
The President of UNESCO REF, Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, said the programme was designed to address both the economic challenges facing women with disabilities and the educational needs of their children.
He said, “This programme is about two generations, through one intervention. When we equip a mother with a disability to earn a dignified income, we protect the schooling of her children.
“Our parents and our out-of-school children are not two separate challenges. They are one story, and The VOICE Initiative addresses both at once.”
According to him, Osun’s participation would provide a model for other states to adopt, ahead of the programme’s planned national and continental expansion.
The first course, AI Innovation and Digital Enterprise (TIER I), will be delivered entirely online through The Lichfield Academy. It comprises 78 lessons over six weeks and is open to women with disabilities aged 18 and above who possess a first degree or its equivalent in any discipline.
UNESCO REF said applicants would not require previous technology experience, as the programme was structured to prepare every graduate for remote employment with local or international organisations.
The initiative’s national expansion target for 2027 is 120,000 women, with 20,000 beneficiaries expected from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The exercise will be led by Dr Safiyyah Hassan Shaibu, Strategic Ambassador for UNESCO REF SIP-ALPHA.
The programme is expected to extend to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries in 2028 before reaching all 54 African nations by 2030.
UNESCO REF said the training would be fully funded through its Educational Financial Facility Scheme, at no cost to the state or Federal Government.
It added that the programme was designed to generate economic benefits through employment, personal income tax, value-added tax and increased spending within local economies.
The federation also cited estimates by the International Labour Organisation that low- and middle-income countries lose between three and seven per cent of their Gross Domestic Product through the exclusion of persons with disabilities from employment.
The initiative, launched on October 1, 2026, to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary, is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on poverty reduction, quality education, gender equality, decent work and reduced inequalities.
It also seeks to advance provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and international commitments on the rights of women with disabilities.
