LASG Pledges Commitment to Inclusive Toolkit Designed to Guide Hiring PWDs

Oluchi Chibuzor 

Lagos State government has pledged their support for an inclusive hiring toolkit designed to guide public, private, and civil society actors on best practices for hiring and retaining persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Welcoming the delegates of  The Irede Foundation (TIF) during an advocacy visit to key leaders of the state government recently, the General Manager of Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Mrs. Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, praised the non governmental organisation inspiration and efforts in developing the document.

However, Mrs. Oyetunde-Lawal stressed the importance of “involving the private sector and sharing success stories to build trust and credibility around inclusive hiring.”

In collaboration with the Disability Rights Fund (DRF), TIF’s advocacy visit to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development served as a launchpad for the toolkit which designed to guide public, private, and civil society actors on best practices for hiring and retaining persons with disabilities.

Speaking while presenting the toolkit also to the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, Executive Director, TIF, Mrs. Crystal Chigbu, ssid the the inclusive hiring toolkit is designed to guide public, private, and civil society actors on best practices for hiring and retaining persons with disabilities.

According to her, “This toolkit is a powerful step in removing barriers and changing the employment narrative for PWDs. The July 2025 stakeholder DEEP summit will convene employers, advocates, and policy makers to co-create lasting solutions and scale access to economic opportunities for PWDs. With a goal to train 150 PWDs and secure 20 internship placements, The IREDE Foundation is not just advocating change, it’s building it, one inclusive policy at a time.”

Responding, Ogunlende pledged the commitment of the Lagos State Government to the toolkit and said that, “this initiative is timely and necessary. The toolkit gives us a clear roadmap for inclusion, and we are committed to ensuring it’s fully implemented.”