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Digital Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities Lagging Behind-ITU
The Model ICT Accessibility Policy Report released in São Paulo, Brazil recognizes that despite the unprecedented growth in mobile and Internet use worldwide, very few nations have acted to ensure that persons with disabilities are part of the technology revolution.
The Report is jointly published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ict).
The report notes that although many countries have information and communication technology (ICT) laws, policies and regulations that generally support the principles of universal access to ICT, the needs of the disability community are different and require a deliberate additional focus on ICT accessibility by legislators, policy-makers and regulators aimed at removing barriers to ICT use.
The policy framework was launched today at the Accessible Americas meeting organized by ITU, UNESCO, Brazil and the National Secretariat for the Promotion of the Rights of People with Disabilities of the Human Rights Secretariat of the Presidential Cabinet of the Brazilian Republic (SDH) in São Paolo, Brazil.
Bearing in mind the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in using many mainstream ICTs, the report is designed to guide national policy-makers and regulators in creating their own ICT accessibility policy frameworks in consultation with persons with disabilities.
It focuses on different aspects of ICT accessibility, namely amendments to the existing ICT legal framework, public ICT access, mobile communications, television/video programming, government websites and public procurement of accessible ICTs.
“ITU is working with all stakeholders towards global ICT accessibility and affordability in all countries and regions and by all peoples, including persons with disabilities,” says ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré. “There is no doubt that ICTs can enable and accelerate access to resources such as education and health care for persons with disabilities leading to their greater social, economic and political inclusion.”
“The report contains concrete steps that can be taken to make meaningful rules and regulations to ensure that ICT accessibility becomes a reality on the ground,” said Mr Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. “It helps regulators and policy makers to become action-oriented.”
“ITU’s leadership in promoting ICT accessibility plays an important role in realizing the promises of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”, said Axel Leblois, president and executive director of G3ict.
“The report, which is the result of seven years of cooperation between ITU and G3ict, offers easy to use policy frameworks inspired by existing good practices and available technologies from around the world. It also emphasizes the critical importance of involving relevant stakeholders in developing and monitoring ICT accessibility policies with the active participation of persons with disabilities.”
Mr Leblois added: “It is our hope that the model policies presented in the report will help accelerate the accessibility of essential ICT products and services for citizens of all abilities.”
The Model ICT accessibility policy report is developed for ICT policy-makers, regulators and other stakeholders active in ICT and/or disability issues, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), organizations of persons with disabilities, and parliamentarians.
The report has been prepared pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in line with the ITU and G3ict ICT Accessibility Policy Toolkit for persons with disabilities.
At the last World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC 2014) held in April this year, ITU Members reaffirmed, by adopting Resolution 58, the need for accessible ICTs for persons with disabilities through the development of national legal frameworks, laws, regulations and policies.
Likewise, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Busan, Republic of Korea, October-November 2014, established the Connect 2020 Agenda which includes four high-level goals: growth, inclusiveness, sustainability and innovation, and partnership. The goals are accompanied by a set of targets, among which “Enabling environments ensuring accessible telecommunications/ICTs for persons with disabilities should be established in all countries by 2020”.
Digital Inclusion is part of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector’s activities designed to promote ICT accessibility and use for the social and economic development of people with specific needs, including indigenous peoples and people living in rural areas; persons with disabilities; women and girls; and youth and children.
Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) pursuant to Section 60 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), plans to ask Nigerian banks to debit bank accounts of employers who failed to remit tax liability.
This was disclosed in a recent notice on Sunday.
LIRS stressed that the move was in line with the implementation of the country’s NTAA and other new tax laws, which took effect on January 1, 2026.
“Where a taxpayer fails, neglects, or refuses to settle any established outstanding tax liability when due, LIRS may exercise its power under Section 60 to direct any of the following persons to pay the amount owed by the taxpayer:
“Banks and other financial institutions; Employers; tenants, debtors, or customers of the taxpayer; Agents, business partners, and any person holding money on behalf of the taxpayer; Any person owing money to the taxpayer, whether presently due or accruing. Once a substitution notice is issued, the person served is statutorily required to remit to LIRS the amount. Specified in the notice from funds belonging to, or payable to, the defaulting taxpayer,” the LIRS notice partly read.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, weeks ago ruled out claims that the government would debit personal accounts over tax remittances.
Anambra State will implement pro-rata salary payments for civil servants starting February 2026, targeting chronic Monday absenteeism from the long-running sit-at-home order, Information Commissioner Dr. Law Mefor announced Saturday.
Soludo
Speaking at an Awka briefing after the Executive Council’s end-of-tenure retreat, Mefor said improved security and transport have eliminated excuses for the four-year disruption, which cost the state trillions in lost revenue. “Workers enjoyed full pay despite staying away; now, no work means no pay for that day, calculated over 24 working days,” he stated.
Compliance measures include mandatory Monday clock-in forms, with markets urged to reopen fully amid bolstered security. This builds on a January 22 executive order docking 20% pay from teachers absent on Mondays.
Mefor warned that lost Mondays cripple revenue collection and productivity, rejecting alternatives like Saturday shifts as capitulation to agitators.
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Stakeholders Demand Stronger Governance and Infrastructure to Drive Tech Adoption @ Lagos AI Summit
As AI adoption accelerates across Nigeria, leaders at the “AI in Action Now” conference 2026 have called for a balance between rapid innovation and strict regulatory governance. The event, held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, highlighted both the doggedness of Nigerian builders and the risks of unregulated data usage.
Dotun Adeoye, Co-Founder of AI Nigeria, raised alarms over “Shadow AI”, a trend where employees upload sensitive official documents to public AI platforms. He praised the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for its recent aggressive stance, including multi-million-dollar fines against major banks and social media brands.
“Innovation without governance is dangerous. The regulator now has the job of educating players. We are working in partnership with them to ensure players don’t just get fined, but actually understand how to protect data locally rather than storing it abroad, ” Adeoye noted.
Addressing issues of lack of infrastructure to carry AI adoption, Conference Convener Debola Ibiyode admitted that while Nigeria lacks the traditional foundation for AI adoption, the tech community cannot afford to wait.
“The simple answer is we don’t have the infrastructure, but Nigeria has never really had infrastructure to drive anything, and we still thrive, ” Iboyode said, encouraging students and builders to look beyond current limitations. “Once we start to build based on what we have now, it will encourage those who need to provide the infrastructure to do their part. The world will not wait for us,” she insisted.
To bridge this gap, she highlighted the AI Foundry Africa, an incubator designed to mentor ideas into market-ready products.
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on the sidelines, Biodun Ogunleye, the Lagos State Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, echoed the sentiment that the government’s role is to facilitate the right environment through partnership. He emphasized that data generated from interactions with the government must have long-term value.
“We must ensure that in all facets from production to interaction with government, the tools required to ensure data has value are appreciated,” Ogunleye stated.
He concluded that through private-sector collaboration, the government can focus on its primary functions while leveraging AI to ensure the nation aspires for the future.
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