WITAD pledges institutional change for persons with disabilities
UNDERPINNED by faith-based principles, the Constitution of Eswatini, and the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2018, Women in Trade and Development (WITAD) has a formal institutional commitment to disability inclusion.
As documented in the organisation's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, WITAD has adopted a goal of at least 20% participation of persons with disabilities in every empowerment initiative.
The Constitution of Eswatini, in Section 28, guarantees the rights of persons with disabilities to respect and dignity, while Section 60 prohibits discrimination on multiple grounds, including disability. These constitutional provisions are given practical effect through the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2018, which mandates equal access to employment, services, and public accommodations, and the National Disability Policy of 2018, which provides the strategic framework for integrating disability issues into all sectoral developments.
Additional legal obligations arise from the Employment Act of 1980 (as amended), which prohibits discrimination in recruitment and requires reasonable accommodation in workplaces, and the
Public Service Act, which guides disability inclusion within government and publicly funded entities.
On the global stage, WITAD's commitment aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
This international treaty moves away from viewing disability as a medical or charity issue and instead frames it as a human rights imperative. WITAD's newly-drafted Disability Inclusion Action Plan is designed to breathe life into Eswatini's national governance instruments and international obligations. WITAD aims to have disability inclusion fully embedded into its overarching institutional strategy, positioning itself as a demonstration model for other NGOs in Eswatini.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE (ITC), EUROPEAN UNION (EU) WORKSHOP
WITAD participated in a workshop at the Hilton Garden Inn Mbabane between April 14-16, organised by the ITC and EU under the ‘Eswatini Alliances: Skills for Economic and Social Inclusion Programme’.
The purpose of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of institutions to design, implement, and monitor disability-inclusive skills development and enterprise support programmes. Partners used this platform to move beyond general goals and advocacy and toward a concrete, time-bound Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
This commitment aligns with WITAD’s organisational DNA. The organisation embeds the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) into the very foundation of its trade and development initiatives. The urgency of this commitment is underscored by a staggering global reality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.3 billion people or 16% of the world’s population, experience a significant disability. This is one in every six people on the planet.
TRANSFORMING KNOWLEDGE INTO AN ACTION PLAN
The workshop provided a rigorous environment for WITAD and partners to identify the physical, digital, communication, institutional, economic and attitudinal barriers that often prevent PWDs from participating in the economy.
The economic cost of exclusion is profound. Research by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank suggests that the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour market can result in a loss of 3% to 7% of a country’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). In many developing economies, this translates to billions in lost productivity and increased dependency. Conversely, for every lilangeni invested in making a workplace or training program inclusive, the return on investment is significant.
WITAD has drafted a strategic Action Plan that outlines immediate and longterm measures. Central to this plan is the commitment to inclusive economic empowerment and social justice initiatives. WITAD pledges to adapt its flagship entrepreneurship and TVET programs, namely: garment design, organic farming, digital skills and food processing, as well as the social justice measures covering gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) to ensure they are accessible.
This includes the provision of inclusive training materials and addressing opportunity barriers by intentionally prioritising PWDs for skills training.
Furthermore, WITAD is committing to reasonable accommodation, the necessary adjustments that allow PWDs to participate on an equal basis with others. This involves auditing infrastructure layouts, introducing accessible signage and piloting inclusive communication practices. These measures ensure that a physical or sensory disability is never a barrier to mastering a trade or launching a business.
A COLLABORATIVE FUTURE
To ensure these efforts are grounded in reality, WITAD has pledged to formalise partnerships with organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). This "nothing about us without us" approach ensures that PWDs are cocreators of the programmes designed to support them.