The State minister for Disability Hellen Asamo is in South Africa with a team of government officials to bench mark on Disability Inclusion in Social Protection Systems and Programmes.
The Minister who is accompanied by government officials and development partners from Uganda under ministry of gender labour and Social Development, urged her colleagues, Ministers from South Africa to lobby H. E Ramaphosa to take issues of Person’s with Disabilities to the G20 summit since he is the current Chair of the summit.
Asamo has pledged to eliminate environmental barriers for full Disability inclusion in Uganda on return.
Asamo has further underscored the urgent need to strengthen social protection systems and promote full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all government programmes.
Speaking on the margins of the South Africa (SA)–Uganda Disability Inclusion Study Tour, Asamo said her delegation is in SA to learn from its social protection strategies, including the Disability Grant and Care Dependency Grant, with the goal of adapting similar approaches back home.
The programme focuses on disability-inclusive social protection, including the Disability Grant and Care Dependency Grant, and aims to strengthen co-operation between both nations.
The tour promotes inclusion, equality and dignity for persons with disabilities
Uganda’s disability policy is enshrined in The Persons with Disabilities Act (2020), which aims to eliminate discrimination, ensure equal opportunities, and promote human rights for people with disabilities, in line with the country’s Constitution
According to Uganda Bureau of Statistics census of 2024, indicates that there are 5.5 million people with disabilities out of a total population of 45,935,046, but the disability community disputes this figure, citing increased prevalence in earlier surveys