Election:30 millions of Nigerians Are Disabled — World Bank

In Nigeria, persons with disabilities constitute about 16% of the nation’s population, an estimated 30 million people. According to the World Bank, 65% of these individuals are of voting age.

This group faces numerous barriers in society, especially during elections, where they are expected to both vote and stand for election. Among them, deaf persons are particularly marginalized, as they cannot access the wealth of information disseminated during election campaigns.

In response, the Managing Director of TAF AFRICA, Ambassador Jake Epelle, initiated a program to train sign language interpreters.

These interpreters will assist deaf persons in overcoming communication barriers, enabling them to participate fully in the upcoming November 8, 2025, gubernatorial election in Anambra State.

The training, held in Awka and organized by the non-governmental organization TAF AFRICA in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represents an innovative step toward ensuring every deaf voter can engage confidently and fully in the democratic process. Ambassador Epelle described the initiative as a means to highlight the importance of accessible and inclusive elections while empowering the deaf community to actively shape Nigeria’s democracy.

During the training, Mr. George Anwayi, Senior Program Officer at TAF AFRICA, emphasized to the sign language interpreters the critical need for deaf voters of voting age to receive comprehensive election information.

This will help them stay informed about the provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Mr. Anwayi further stated that TAF AFRICA is the first organization in Nigeria to convene sign language interpreters ahead of an election, with the collaboration and support of INEC.

In a remark, Lynn Agwuncha, Senior Communication Officer for TAF AFRICA, noted that, as part of efforts to strengthen disability inclusion in Nigeria’s electoral process, TAF AFRICA, with funding from the European Union’s Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) Programme, decided to train 25 sign language interpreters ahead of the governorship election.

Miss Agwuncha explained that the training aims to equip the interpreters with the technical and electoral knowledge necessary to provide interpretation services at polling units with the highest concentration of deaf voters during the November 8, 2025, governorship election.