The Federal Government said it secured Foreign Direct Investment to the tune N20 billion towards facilitating local production of assistive devices for persons with disabilities.

The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Dr James Lalu, stated this during an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Lalu said, the need to source for investors in the manufacturing of locally made assistive devices for persons with disabilities became necessary due to the high cost of the imported devices.

“Recently, we secured a foreign direct investment to the tune of N20 billion and the organisation is committed to starting the local manufacturing of assistive devices as a MoU has already been signed.

”The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is going forward to make sure that we provide this opportunity to Nigeria for the manufacturing of local assistive devices. This is due to the fact that 99 per cent of our assistive devices are imported and the prices are higher and are now getting out of the reach of the poor. Even, the budgetary allocation provided may not be able to provide assistive devices to the disability community across all states of the federation,” he said.

Mr Lalu added that promoting local contents in the manufacturing of assistive devices will go a long way to increase patronage and boost the nation’s economy.

“With the local manufacturing of assistive devices, it will encourage the state governments, local governments and other government agencies to procure and distribute them to the disability communities.

”The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities is working already in the area of local manufacturing of assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities. These include, wheelchairs, hearing aids and other devices for the blind and the deaf as well as persons with albinism,” he said

The executive secretary disclosed that the commission was searching for talents in innovative and creative industry to improve in the production of assistive devices for PwDs.

He said, “Recently, we saw a video circulating on social media about one person in Kano, who was able to manufacture a digital eye-glass that can assist a blind person to walk around using sensors that will communicate to him through voice. When we saw this, we sent an invitation to the innovator to come to our head office.

“We are expecting him at our head office on Tuesday and we are going to review his invention, to see what we can do, to partner with the Bank of Industry and NASENI to bring the innovation to reality in Nigeria.’’

Mr Lalu noted that Nigeria is a land of great opportunities, adding the commission will scout for opportunities to bring the disability community into the technological era.

(NAN)