By Stellamaris Ashinze
In a significant benchmark for corporate Nigeria, MTN Nigeria has demonstrated measurable progress in disability inclusion, reporting that Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) now constitute 2.13% of its workforce—a notable increase from 0.9% in 2021. This 1.23 percentage point growth, announced during the company’s commemoration of the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), represents more than just a statistic; it signals a deliberate transition from ad-hoc charity to embedded structural reform.
The event, held at MTN Nigeria’s Lagos headquarters under the UN theme “Fostering Disability-Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progress,” served as a platform for the telecom giant to detail its comprehensive “Beyond Barriers” strategy. Chief Human Resources Officer Esther Akinnukawe, represented by General Manager Inyang Osazuwa, framed the initiative not as philanthropy but as a core business and investment agenda. “Our brand must speak to everyone,” Akinnukawe stated, emphasizing that inclusion is a matter of commercial relevance and accountability.
Beyond Numbers: The Framework of ‘Reasonable Accommodation’
The reported growth is underpinned by what Akinnukawe termed a “structured ‘reasonable accommodation’ framework.” This legal and ethical concept, central to disability rights, requires employers to make necessary adjustments to enable a PWD to perform their job. For MTN, this has translated into tangible capital investments:
- Physical Infrastructure: Installation of ramps, modified workspaces, and hearing induction loops in customer-facing centres.
- Digital & Systemic Integration: Embedding a dedicated disability segment within the customer lifecycle management system, ensuring services and interactions are accessible by design.
- Sustainable Talent Pipeline: Continuation of the IT Bridge Academy internship program, now in its second year, which aims to bridge the digital skills gap for PWDs and prepare them for the broader labour market.
The Economic Imperative of Inclusion
CEO Karl Toriola, represented by Chief Broadband Officer Egerton Idehen, anchored the company’s efforts in stark economic reality. He referenced the estimated 35 million Nigerians living with disabilities—a vast market segment often excluded. “The exclusion of this segment… represents a significant economic loss,” Toriola noted, framing inclusion as essential for innovation, growth, and national development. This perspective shifts the discourse from moral obligation to strategic necessity, recognizing PWDs as consumers, talent, and contributors to GDP.
From ‘Nice-to-Do’ to ‘Right-to-Do’: A Call for Sector-Wide Change
The event featured a powerful keynote from DEI expert Dolapo Agbede, who dissected the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Agbede issued a direct challenge to the private sector: to transition from viewing inclusion as a discretionary “nice-to-do” CSR activity to a non-negotiable “right-to-do” governance standard. This call for normalization aligns with global trends where investors and regulators increasingly scrutinize social performance alongside financial results.
The human impact of these policies was voiced from within. David Orinya, an MTN staff member with a disability, provided crucial validation: “My difference is not a barrier here, it is a unique perspective.” This sentiment was echoed by event host David Ubon and reinforced in a session led by Tolani Ojuri of the Albinism Association of Nigeria, who advocated for specific policy reforms to dismantle workplace myths and stigmas.
Looking Ahead: Embedding Accessibility in Corporate Strategy
Toriola confirmed that the push for accessibility in both digital and physical spaces will remain a core pillar of MTN’s 2025 corporate strategy. This commitment suggests the reported 2.13% is a milestone, not an endpoint. The “Beyond Barriers” roadmap appears to be a holistic attempt to weave inclusion into the fabric of the organization—from HR and IT to customer service and infrastructure.
MTN Nigeria’s announcement, therefore, offers a case study in moving beyond symbolic gestures. It highlights the need for measured progress (tracking percentage increases), enabling frameworks (reasonable accommodations), economic rationale, and lived-experience validation. As Corporate Nigeria faces increasing pressure to reflect the nation’s diversity, this multi-pronged approach may provide a template for what meaningful, sustainable inclusion looks like in practice.
Edited by Christiana Fadare
Source: NAN News
