The Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Vulnerable People Support and Development Initiative (V-PeSDI) have initiated discussions to strengthen disability-inclusive disaster preparedness and emergency response in Kano State following an advocacy visit by the organisation to the Agency.
The discussions took place when a V-PeSDI delegation, led by its Coordinator, Aftahana Dahiru Sarina, and Technical Assistant, Mallam Salisu Yusuf, paid an advocacy visit to the Agency in Kano.
The delegation called for the integration of Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) into the state’s disaster management framework, noting that persons with disabilities are often among the most vulnerable during emergencies such as floods, fire outbreaks, building collapses, disease outbreaks, and windstorms.
Among the key demands presented were the inclusion of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities on disaster management committees, equitable access to emergency relief materials, and the adoption of inclusive approaches across disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience-building programmes.
Receiving the delegation, the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Isyaku A. Kubarachi, commended V-PeSDI for championing inclusive disaster management in the state.
He stressed that disaster management is a shared humanitarian responsibility and assured that the Agency would strengthen collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that no one is left behind during emergencies.
The Executive Secretary also pledged to promote disability-inclusive disaster preparedness activities and enhance public awareness on inclusive emergency response.
The advocacy visit ended with an agreement to deepen collaboration between SEMA and V-PeSDI, including involving the organisation in future consultations, disaster preparedness initiatives, and emergency response activities affecting persons with disabilities.
The meeting also resolved to convene a multi-stakeholder coordination meeting involving relevant government agencies, humanitarian organisations, and disability groups to develop a roadmap for disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction in Kano State.
Participants further agreed to advocate for the revitalisation of the Dawakin Kudu Emergency Response Centre and the establishment of a North-West Zonal Office of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to improve humanitarian response and services for persons with disabilities across the region.