Ability Impact Centre, a youth-led initiative recently empowered over 10 organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) on media, communication strategy, and advocacy visibility.
The one-day Voices Amplified Network (VAN) workshop organised recently in Lagos by Ability Impact Centre.
“This workshop is more than training, it’s a movement. We are reclaiming our stories and taking our place in Africa’s development agenda,” Olusola Adeyefa, co-founder, Ability Impact Centre (AIC), said in a statement.
According to him, the disability-focused organisation is keen on equipping young Africans with disabilities through media, advocacy, and strategic communication.
Tolani Ojuri, president, Albinism Association of Nigeria (Lagos), noted that the Voices Amplified Network (VAN) is a significant resource hub for OPDs. According to Ojuri, the initiative helped in bridging gaps in advocacy.
Kingsley Njoku, a representative of Lagos State Association of the Deaf, stated that the workshop offered practical ways to amplify voices of PWDs, regardless of disability type.
The statement, which was signed by Allen Abu, head of communication, Ability Impact Centre, disclosed that the workshop featured expert-led sessions, hands-on group work.
The workshop was also leveraged to launch AIC’s Media Kit for OPDs, as a pioneering resource to help organisations craft compelling, advocacy-driven communication.
According to the statement, a highlight of the day was the interactive session led by Ayo Makinde of Channels Television, which challenged participants to move from narratives of pity to narratives of power.
Tobiloba Ajayi, founder, Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation, and Folashade Salimonu, a broadcast journalist from the Lagos Television (LTV), were among the resource persons who added depth to the conversation on inclusive media.
With partners like Kthalm Logistic, Sam Ijiyokunola (SI) Photography, and Techly Marketing, the VAN workshop is catalyzing a shift, from exclusion to expression; from silence to strategy, with over 10 million media reach expected and several digital campaigns in the pipeline.
