For millions of Nigerians, the digital revolution has opened doors to education, employment, entrepreneurship, financial services and information. But for persons with disabilities, those doors are not always easy to open.
As Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation, the challenge is no longer simply getting people online. It is ensuring that everyone—including persons with disabilities—can access, understand and benefit from the technologies shaping everyday life.
That concern was at the heart of the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) latest push to deepen digital inclusion, as the commission pledged to expand accessible technology and digital skills programmes for persons with disabilities.
Speaking at the opening of a digital citizenship training programme for persons with disabilities in Lagos, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, represented by the Director of Digital Economy, Mrs Helen Obi, said Nigeria’s digital transformation must be inclusive, accessible and people-centred.
His message was straightforward: technology should remove barriers to opportunity, not create new ones.
The barriers behind the digital divide
Despite the rapid expansion of digital services, persons with disabilities continue to face multiple obstacles to meaningful participation in the digital economy.
Maida identified inaccessible digital products and platforms, the high cost of devices and connectivity, inadequate digital skills and the limited participation of persons with disabilities in technology design as some of the major barriers.
These challenges mean that simply expanding internet coverage or increasing smartphone ownership may not be enough. A person may have access to a device and connectivity but still be unable to use a digital service effectively if the platform has not been designed with accessibility in mind.
For the NCC, therefore, genuine digital inclusion requires a combination of appropriate devices, affordable and reliable broadband, accessible digital platforms, relevant skills and secure digital systems.
The commission believes the potential rewards are significant. With the right interventions, technology can expand access to education, employment, entrepreneurship, public services and information for persons with disabilities.
“Digital technology should create opportunities, not create new barriers,” Maida said.
From digital access to digital citizenship
The NCC’s approach also recognises that inclusion goes beyond simply teaching people how to operate computers and smartphones.
Maida explained that digital citizenship encompasses responsible online behaviour, protection of personal information, identification of scams and misinformation, as well as awareness of digital rights.
This is increasingly important as more Nigerians conduct business, communicate, access government services and seek information online.
For persons with disabilities, digital literacy can therefore represent more than acquiring a technical skill. It can become a pathway to greater independence, economic participation and social engagement.
The digital citizenship training was consequently designed to equip participants with practical competencies to use digital tools safely, responsibly and productively.
“Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of persons with disabilities to participate meaningfully in Nigeria’s digital economy,” Maida said.
Building inclusion through intervention
The commission’s commitment to digital inclusion is also reflected in several initiatives implemented through its Universal Service Provision Fund.
Maida cited the School Knowledge Centres, Information Resource Centres, University Connectivity Initiatives and e-Health projects as part of the NCC’s broader efforts to expand digital access.
The commission has also implemented an e-Accessibility Project, through which ICT tools and assistive technologies have been provided to institutions supporting persons with disabilities.
Such interventions highlight an important shift in the digital inclusion conversation—from merely providing connectivity to ensuring that people can actually use technology according to their individual needs.
The NCC has also sought to encourage research and innovation through its Professorial Chair Initiative, supporting efforts to develop practical technological solutions to societal challenges.
One example cited by Maida is an assistive walking stick prototype designed to support visually impaired persons.
According to him, the commission is working towards further developing and potentially commercialising the innovation while ensuring that it responds to emerging technologies and the needs of its intended users.
Technology without barriers
The commission’s fourth Hackathon, themed “Technology Without Barriers,” further illustrates its attempt to place accessibility at the centre of technology development.
The idea is significant because persons with disabilities should not merely be consumers of technologies designed by others. Their experiences and needs must increasingly inform how those technologies are conceived, developed and deployed.
That principle could become particularly important as artificial intelligence, digital public services and automated systems become more deeply embedded in Nigerian society.
If accessibility is considered only after a technology has been developed, barriers may already be built into the system. But when users with disabilities are involved from the design stage, technology has a greater chance of becoming genuinely inclusive.
From training room to economic opportunity
For development partners working in the disability sector, the next challenge is ensuring that digital training does not end when participants leave the classroom.
Mr Michael Idah, Country Programme Manager of Christian Blind Mission (CBM), Nigeria Office, commended the NCC for using digital skills to expand opportunities for persons with disabilities.
CBM, he said, operates across 22 states, supporting disability inclusion, skills development, livelihood opportunities and access to vocational training.
Idah challenged stakeholders to translate the knowledge acquired through the programme into tangible opportunities in learning, employment, entrepreneurship, advocacy and leadership.
He also urged participants to become champions of digital inclusion by sharing their knowledge, mentoring others and advocating for accessible digital platforms.
That call points to one of the most important tests of digital inclusion programmes: whether the skills acquired translate into improved livelihoods and greater participation in the economy.
The Lagos dimension
For Lagos State, where digital services and technology-driven businesses are expanding rapidly, ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind is equally important.
Mrs Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), described the training as a significant step towards preventing persons with disabilities from being excluded from the emerging digital society.
She noted that digital literacy has become essential for education, employment, entrepreneurship, access to information and meaningful participation in society.
Oyetunde-Lawal urged participants to turn their newly acquired knowledge into economic independence, employment opportunities and greater participation in the digital economy.
She also pledged LASODA’s continued collaboration with relevant institutions to build an inclusive Lagos where disability would not constitute a barrier to opportunity, innovation and participation.
A bigger test for Nigeria’s digital future
The NCC’s latest intervention underscores a broader reality: Nigeria’s digital transformation will only be truly successful if its benefits reach those traditionally excluded from technological opportunities.
For persons with disabilities, the challenge involves more than internet access. It encompasses affordability, accessible design, assistive technology, digital skills, cybersecurity, representation in technology development and the creation of real economic opportunities.
The NCC’s initiatives suggest that the conversation is gradually moving in that direction.
But the ultimate measure of success will be whether digital inclusion translates into jobs, businesses, education, independent living, access to services and greater participation in public life.
As Nigeria builds its digital economy, the principle articulated by the NCC’s leadership provides a useful benchmark: technology must not become another wall separating citizens from opportunity.
It must become a bridge.
