Zanzibar seals five-year disability inclusion pact
ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR has signed a five-year partnership with the Norwegian Association of Disabled Zanzibar (NAD Zanzibar) to strengthen the Zanzibar Council for People with Disabilities and expand disability inclusion across the Isles.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on Friday between NAD Zanzibar and the Office of the First Vice-President, will provide technical support to strengthen the council’s institutional capacity and improve inclusive development at community level. The partnership builds on NAD’s ongoing disability rights programmes in Zanzibar.
The agreement was signed by NAD Zanzibar Resident Director Abdulla Amour and Acting Principal Secretary in the Ministry of State, Office of the First Vice-President, Sheha Mjaja, on behalf of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.
The partnership is expected to strengthen the council’s ability to promote, protect and advance the rights and interests of people with disabilities while supporting systems that encourage their participation in Zanzibar’s social and economic development.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Zanzibar, Mr Amour said the agreement formalised a long-standing partnership between NAD Zanzibar and the Zanzibar Council for People with Disabilities, particularly in implementing the Community-Based Inclusive Development (CBID) approach.
“This agreement formalises the cooperation that has existed for a long time between NAD Zanzibar and the Zanzibar Council for People with Disabilities. It will enable us to advance Community-Based Inclusive Development.
“Build the capacity of people with disabilities and their organisations, strengthen cooperation with the government, conduct research and exchange knowledge to promote the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities in Zanzibar,” he said.
He said the collaboration would also focus on empowering organisations of people with disabilities, strengthening government institutions’ capacity to address disability issues and promoting research and knowledge sharing.
Mr Mjaja thanked NAD Zanzibar and stakeholders in the CADiR project for supporting efforts to improve the welfare and development of people with disabilities, saying the partnership aligns with the Zanzibar Development Vision 2050, which prioritises disability inclusion and improved access to services.
He said achieving those goals required close cooperation between the government, the private sector, civil society organisations and development partners.
“We must prepare an implementation plan that clearly defines the targets to be achieved. This will enable us to monitor implementation, assess our progress and measure the achievements made during the five-year period,” Mr Mjaja said.
He added that because the agreement centres on inclusion, people with disabilities must participate at every stage of its implementation to ensure it delivers the intended results.
