In a pivotal act of advocacy, The IREDE Foundation (TIF), supported by the Disability Rights Fund, hosted the Disability Empowerment and Employability Project (DEEP) Conference, an initiative aimed at addressing the barriers to employment faced by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.
The event held on July 22, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, under the theme: “Driving Inclusive Employment Through Partnership, Innovation, and Policy Action.”
The event brought together partnerships from diverse stakeholders, including Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), and the Commissioner, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (MYSD), who have demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusive employment practices
The DEEP Conference convened an impressive lineup of changemakers, industry leaders, policymakers, and advocates committed to creating inclusive workspaces.
These speakers included: The main Speaker, Hon. Mobolaji Akande, Commissioner, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (MYSD); Mr. Kola Olugbodi, Founder & CEO, Background Check International (BCI); Mrs. Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, General Manager, Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA); Mr. Yemi Faseun, Founder, YF Talent; Mr. Olusola Adeyeta, CEO, Techly Marketing Limited; & Ms. Tobiloba Ajayi, Founder, The Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation.
The DEEP conference took place after the launch of The IREDE Foundation’s (TIF) Employability Recruitment Toolkit, which is a strategic guide designed to support organizations in recruiting, integrating, and retaining employees with disabilities. The toolkit is a practical step toward achieving SDGs 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth & 10, Reduced Inequalities.
The Conference served as a vibrant platform for multi-sector collaboration, where stakeholders from the public, private, and civil society sectors pledged to adopt inclusive hiring practices and utilize the toolkit to increase disability representation in the workforce.
“The DEEP Conference is not just a conversation, it’s a call to action,” said Crystal Chigbu, Executive Director of The IREDE Foundation. “We are building a future where talent is not limited by disability, but empowered through opportunity.”
The conference concluded with commitments from several organizations to implement the toolkit and begin employing PWDs, marking a bold step forward in the movement for disability inclusion in Nigeria’s labor market.
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