Tinubu’s Aide Abba Isa Seeks Stronger CBN Partnership to Deepen Financial Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities
By Lanre Oloyede
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa, has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to accelerate financial inclusion and economic empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) across Nigeria.
Abba Isa made the call while speaking at the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) Inter-Agency Taskforce Workshop and the 36th Financial Inclusion Working Groups Meeting convened by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He commended the CBN for providing a platform for stakeholders to review and strengthen the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, describing the initiative as critical to ensuring that vulnerable groups are not left behind in the nation’s economic development process.
According to him, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to promoting equal opportunities and mainstreaming disability perspectives across all sectors of national development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The presidential aide noted that although his office primarily serves as an advisory body on disability and equal opportunity issues, it has also been mandated by the President to proactively facilitate initiatives that expand opportunities for Persons with Disabilities through strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
Abba Isa stressed that financial inclusion should go beyond access to banking services and encompass access to funding, business opportunities, entrepreneurship support, financial literacy, digital financial services and sustainable livelihoods.
Highlighting some of the interventions undertaken by his office, he disclosed that a partnership with The Ability Life Initiative (TALI) successfully mobilised over N1 billion to support businesses owned by persons with disabilities in the arts and creative industry.
He explained that the initiative was designed to unlock the economic potential of talented creatives with disabilities and connect them with sustainable financing opportunities.
The SSA further revealed that his office collaborated with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical and Vocational Education and Training to facilitate the inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in financial empowerment programmes, enabling beneficiaries to access grants of up to N500,000 to establish and expand their businesses.
He added that through a partnership with Prime Diamond Initiative, more than 20 women with disabilities were empowered with fully funded Point-of-Sale (POS) machines and business start-up kits to enhance their economic independence.
Similarly, he said the office facilitated the participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) National Business Skills Development Initiative, through which beneficiaries received entrepreneurship training and financial support.
Despite the progress recorded, Abba Isa observed that many Persons with Disabilities still encounter significant barriers in accessing financial products and services due to physical inaccessibility, communication challenges, limited disability-friendly financial products and inadequate engagement between financial institutions and the disability community.
To address these challenges, he announced plans by his office to convene a Presidential Stakeholders Policy Dialogue on Financial Inclusion, which will bring together members of the Bankers’ Committee, financial service providers, regulators, development partners and representatives of the disability community.
According to him, the dialogue is expected to identify existing barriers and develop practical solutions aimed at advancing disability-inclusive financial services across the country.
He appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria and other stakeholders to support the initiative, expressing confidence that stronger collaboration would help build a more inclusive financial ecosystem.
Abba Isa also urged stakeholders involved in the ongoing review of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy to ensure that disability considerations are mainstreamed across all thematic areas of the framework.
He emphasized that accessibility, participation and inclusion must remain central pillars of Nigeria’s financial inclusion agenda, adding that Persons with Disabilities should be recognised not merely as beneficiaries but as active contributors to economic growth and national development.
