Hajia Zainab Maina, the Minister of Women Affairs, says the Federal Government is collaborating with various stakeholders to enhance effective rehabilitation of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the country.
Maina said this in Katsina on Tuesday at the 6th National Conference of Directors responsible for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
She disclosed that an arrangement was being worked out to engage the stakeholders on a Public and Private sector Partnership (PPP) to address the identified challenges.
Represented by Alhaji Lawal Tambari, Director Rehabilitation, the minister said the aim was to mobilise the required resources to effectively handle services and rehabilitation issues for the PWDs.
“The PPP will encourage meaningful collaboration between the government, NGOs, donor agencies and corporate organisations, hence the decision to go for it, in order to ensure effective service delivery to the targeted people”, she stated.
Maina said the ministry and some agencies, including UNICEF, had conducted baseline survey on persons with disabilities in the country, with the aim of getting reliable data on the affected persons.
“It is believed that these surveys will provide statistical data which will be readily available for efficient planning and execution of strategies aimed at holistic care, training, development and eventual mainstreaming of our brothers and sisters with disabilities.”
The minister also challenged the participants to come up with novel ways of improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the country.
Katsina State Deputy Gov, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, had commended the support of the Federal Government in providing rehabilitation facilities and services in the state.
He also expressed the state government’s commitment in the training and rehabilitation of people with disabilities in the state.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the President on Gender Issues, Hajiya Asma’u Abdulkadir, said that 516 people with disabilities had graduated from the six rehabilitation centres in the state.
She said the state government had provided funds for the resettlement of 399 of them while preparations for the resettlement of 117 others was being pursued.