WE CAN DO MORE: Building an Inclusive Africa
Excluding persons with disabilities is not only a social injustice; it is also a profound economic loss. The WE CAN DO MORE campaign launched in commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, highlights the power of inclusion.
When barriers fall and persons with disabilities are included, our societies grow stronger, and our collective potential expands.
International studies estimate that countries can forfeit up to 7 per cent of their GDP due to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from economic and civic life. For Africa, this cost is far too high to ignore.
Against this backdrop, the the We Can Do More campaign emerged as a continental disability inclusion movement that reframes disability as a human rights and development priorit. Held virtually from 3–7 December, the campaign was launched alongside the commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, marked by a high-level event hosted at the GIZ African Union Office on 1 December.
Implemented in collaboration with the African Union, African Disability Forum (ADF) and Light for the World, the campaign combined policy advocacy with public awareness efforts. It called on policymakers to align national laws with the African Disability Protocol (ADP) and enforce accessibility standards, urged businesses to recognise persons with disabilities as a vital talent pool and consumer base, and encouraged citizens to challenge stigma and demand inclusive communities. These messages were amplified through a coordinated digital campaign, including a dedicated website, campaign videos, graphics, and engagement across news media, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Africa is home to an estimated 85 million persons with disabilities, representing a vast and largely untapped talent pool. Their continued exclusion from education, employment, leadership, and innovation spaces remains a missed opportunity for growth, competitiveness, and resilience. Inclusion, therefore, is not charity; it is a business and development imperative.
Exclusion often begins early. UNESCO data indicate that in some African countries, more than 90 per cent of children with disabilities are out of school, creating a critical skills gap that threatens the continent’s future workforce. Investing in accessible and inclusive education systems is among the highest-return investments Africa can make in its human capital.
Leadership representation also remains limited. Persons with disabilities continue to be significantly underrepresented in governance structures, public institutions, and corporate boardrooms. Removing barriers in laws, policies, and decision-making spaces is essential not only for fairness, but also to unlock a broader and more diverse pool of leadership talent capable of addressing complex development challenges.
The African Disability Protocol (ADP) provides a clear roadmap forward. Ratified by AU Member States, the Protocol offers a strong legal and policy framework for advancing disability rights and inclusion across sectors. The priority now is to move from ratification to full and effective implementation.
As emphasised throughout the WE CAN DO MORE campaign, inclusion must be treated as a strategy, not a slogan. Governments, businesses, educational institutions, and development partners all have a role to play by removing barriers, investing in accessibility, and actively recruiting, educating, and promoting persons with disabilities.
Africa’s aspirations for inclusive growth, innovation, and leadership cannot be achieved without the full participation of persons with disabilities in shaping the continent’s future. The message of the campaign is simple, yet urgent: we can do more, and we must.
To learn more about the African Disability Protocol and how to support its implementation, visit www.wecandomoreafrica.org.