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Disability rights advocates have called on Zambia to urgently complete the ratification of the African Disability Protocol, warning that continued delays prolonged the barriers faced by persons with disabilities across the country.
The stakeholders, including Sightsavers and the Zambia Federation of Disability Organisations (ZAFOD), said ratifying the protocol would strengthen the legal framework for protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and improve Zambia’s human rights standing.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka on Friday at Mkango Cresta Golfview Hotel, ZAFOD Programmes Manager Misheck Mutamba called on authorities across social services, justice, the executive and the legislature to finalise the remaining procedures.
He said the government should deposit the ratification instruments with the African Union without further delay, in line with Zambia’s commitment ahead of the 2026 deadline.
Mutamba said the African Disability Protocol, adopted by the African Union, provides a continental framework specifically designed to protect the rights of persons with disabilities within the African context.
He said ratifying the protocol would significantly strengthen legal protections against discrimination.
“This is not charity, this is simply keeping a promise. Behind the policy language are real people. A child out of school because a building is not accessible is not just a disability issue, it is everyone’s business to fix,” Mutamba stated.
He noted that ratification would align Zambia with continental human rights standards and enhance accountability in areas such as education, social services, justice and civic participation.
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Mutamba said the protocol offered critical protections tailored specifically to the African context, which were not fully addressed by existing international instruments.
“Progress toward ratification has been made, though the process has faced delays,” he stated.
He recalled that during parliamentary discussions on disability inclusion, stakeholders were assured that ratification would be completed in the first quarter of 2026, pending a motion from the Office of the Attorney General and subsequent Cabinet approval.
“Nothing about us, without us,” invoking the defining principle of the global disability rights movement,” he said.
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