The meeting brought together government representatives, traditional authorities, women’s rights groups, faith-based organisations, civil society actors, disability leaders, and the media to explore ways of amplifying the voices of women and girls with disabilities in governance and development processes.

The workshop was themed “Fostering Strategic Alliances to Promote the Rights of Women with Disabilities in Development,” under the auspices of Sightsavers International, ABAK Foundation and funded by the European Union (EU) under the Strengthening Civil Society Representation of Women with Disabilities Project.

Madam Veronica Denyo Kofiedu, Executive Director of WODAO said WODAO is using the dialogue to strengthen its internal systems, build leadership capacity of women with disabilities, and expand advocacy for inclusive policies.

“WODAO is committed to promoting independent living, social inclusion, and economic empowerment of women and girls with disabilities, including those with mental health conditions and psychosocial disability,” she added.

“Over the past year, we have seen the difference that strategic collaboration can make. From enhancing digital accessibility and mainstreaming gender in programming, to engaging in disability-inclusive climate action and strengthening community mobilization, one thing has become clear: we achieve more when we work together.”

“Together, we can create a future where women with disabilities enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities, and full participation in every sphere of life.”

Mad Kofiedu commended its partners for their support towards bringing issues of women with disabilities to the front-burner.

Delivering a remark, Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Minister, emphasised the importance of fostering strategic alliances to promote the rights of women with disabilities in development.

“Women with disabilities often face multiple forms of discrimination that hinder their full participation in society. By forging partnerships among public institutions, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, and the media, we can leverage our collective strengths to drive meaningful change,” he said.

He commended WODAO for its commitment to ensuring that the voices of women with disabilities are considered during policy formulation and implementation and encouraged stakeholders to engage in thoughtful discussions to identify actionable strategies for empowerment.

Mr. David Agyemang, Country Director of Sightsavers Ghana, expressed gratitude for the invitation and praised WODAO’s exceptional performance under their joint project. He reaffirmed Sightsavers’ commitment to supporting initiatives that promote inclusion, emphasizing that their work goes beyond health to include social inclusion, advocacy, and economic empowerment.

“Strength is not found in standing alone, it is found in standing together. Today’s event is about building partnerships and moving beyond advocacy to practical collaboration that delivers real change for women with disabilities,” Mr. Agyemang stated.

Participants identified priority actions including Strengthening inclusive policy advocacy at district and regional levels, Support capacity building for women with disabilities to assume leadership roles Promoting disability-sensitive development planning and monitoring.

The engagement concluded with a shared action plan to sustain collaboration through district-level follow-up meetings, community sensitization campaigns, and capacity-building sessions for grassroots leaders.