LocationsAdvancing disability-inclusive electoral processes in the digital era
May 19, 2026
Dakar, Senegal, 19 May 2026 — Electoral institutions, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), regional institutions, development partners and electoral practitioners from across Africa gathered in Dakar this week for the Africa Conference on Disability Inclusion in Electoral Processes in the Digital Era.
Organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division (UNDPPA) and the Africa Disability Alliance (ADA), the conference which convened 110 participants marked a first in the field of United Nations electoral assistance by placing disability inclusion at the centre of discussions on digital transformation and electoral participation.
Over three days, participants examined practical approaches to advancing more inclusive and accessible electoral processes across Africa, with discussions focusing translating normative frameworks to action, exploring digital accessibility, electoral technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), social media, institutional capacity and partnerships.
Opening the conference, Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, highlighted the risks of exclusion linked to digital transformation.
The digital era has profoundly transformed electoral participation worldwide. Disinformation and misinformation affect the entire population. Yet their specific effects on persons with disabilities remain largely overlooked.Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel
“The digital era has profoundly transformed electoral participation worldwide. Disinformation and misinformation affect the entire population. Yet their specific effects on persons with disabilities remain largely overlooked,” he said.
H.E. Thomas Küppers, Deputy Ambassador of Germany, stressed the importance of integrating accessibility from the outset of digital electoral processes. He referred to the new partnership with UNDP through the Africa Elections Fund supported by the German Federal Foreign Office which seeks to enhance innovation in electoral processes in Africa.
Digital transformation opens extraordinary possibilities, but it also carries the risk of creating new forms of exclusion if accessibility is not integrated from the beginningH.E. Thomas Küppers, Deputy Ambassador of Germany
“Digital transformation opens extraordinary possibilities, but it also carries the risk of creating new forms of exclusion if accessibility is not integrated from the beginning,” he stated.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Ambassador H.E. Ms. Maria Dolores Rios Peset of the Embassy of Spain in Senegal highlighted Spain’s long-standing partnership with UNDP, including more than 30 years of collaboration in support of democratic governance and electoral processes.
She also referred to the Electoral Compass initiative, a partnership between the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and UNDP aimed at supporting inclusive and credible elections, including efforts to address misinformation and strengthen electoral integrity in several countries across Africa.
Participants throughout the conference shared experiences and identified barriers affecting the participation of persons with disabilities across the electoral cycle, including inaccessible infrastructure, limited access to information, logistical challenges and digital exclusion.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, M. Biram Sene, Director General of Elections of Senegal, stressed that accessibility is fundamental to democratic participation.
“It is not only one person who is excluded, it is democracy itself that loses a voice,” he said.
Discussions also focused on the importance of partnerships and long-term collaboration to support implementation beyond the conference itself. During a session on partnerships and coordination, Hassan Sisay from EAD emphasized the need to place OPDs “at the centre of engagement, implementation and monitoring” of electoral inclusion efforts.
Samuel Atuobi of the African Union highlighted the importance of moving beyond norms and frameworks towards implementation.
“From the African Union perspective, the norms are there, but we need more action,” he said, while also calling for stronger engagement with the private sector.
Andrew Kudakwashe Dube, Chief Executive Officer of ADA, stressed that persons with disabilities must participate fully across the electoral cycle.
When we participate, we are able to contribute right from the start.Andrew Kudakwashe Dube, Chief Executive Officer of ADA
“When we participate, we are able to contribute right from the start,” he said, distinguishing participation from tokenistic involvement.
Nirina Kiplagat, Governance and Peacebuilding Coordinator at the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA), emphasized the importance of moving from commitments to implementation.
“For too long, we have assumed that digitalization and inclusion mean the same thing for everyone. They do not,” she said.
She added that the conference created space for “critical reflection and sustainable solutions” by centering the lived experiences of persons with disabilities and bringing together electoral institutions, technology actors and regional partners.
The conference identified six thematic pillars to guide the road map of follow up action for translating the conference recommendations to actual change to enhance inclusion of PWDs in electoral processes in Africa. These pillars consist of legal and institutional reform; inclusive electoral administration; accessible information and digital services; procurement, budgeting and EMB capacity; data, accountability and post-election learning; and OPD engagement, strategic partnerships and follow up. While briefing on the participants on the outcome of the conference discussions, Robert Gerenge, UNDP Regional Electoral Adviser, underscored the need for OPDs to maintain sight on broader advocacy on fostering electoral integrity in Africa. “Nobody will bother about the exclusion of PWDs in elections when they are rigged and deeply flawed”, he stated.
In closing the conference, Aminata Maiga, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system in Senegal, emphasized that digital transformation must become “a driver of inclusion rather than a new source of exclusion,” while stressing the importance of embedding accessibility into the design of technologies, electoral services and public systems from the outset.