The Voices Amplified Network (VAN) Workshop, hosted by Ability Impact Centre (AIC) on Thursday, July 17, 2025, in Lagos, brought together over 10 Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) for a transformative one-day training in media, communication strategy, and advocacy visibility.
“This workshop is more than training, it’s a movement,” said Olusola Adeyefa, Co-founder of the Ability Impact Centre (AIC). “We are reclaiming our stories and taking our place in Africa’s development agenda.”
The workshop featured expert-led sessions, hands-on group work, and the launch of AIC’s Media Kit for OPDs, a pioneering resource to help organisations craft compelling, advocacy-driven communication. A highlight of the day was the interactive session led by Ayo Makinde of Channels Television, which challenged participants to move from narratives of pity to narratives of power.
Tobiloba Ajayi, Founder of the Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation, and Folashade Salimonu, a broadcast journalist from the Lagos Television (LTV), were among the distinguished resource persons who added depth to the conversation on inclusive media.
The participants appreciated the initiative for bridging gaps in advocacy. Tolani Ojuri, President of the Albinism Association of Nigeria (Lagos), noted that the Voices Amplified Network (VAN) is a very significant “resource hub” for OPDs, while Kingsley Njoku of the Lagos State Association of the Deaf shared how the workshop offered “practical ways to amplify our voices, regardless of disability type.”
With partners like Kthalm Logistic, Sam Ijiyokunola (SI) Photography, and Techly Marketing, the VAN Workshop is catalyzing a powerful shift, from exclusion to expression, from silence to strategy, with over 10 million media reach expected and several digital campaigns in the pipeline. Ability Impact Centre is a youth-led, disability-focused organisation equipping young Africans with disabilities through media, advocacy, and strategic communication.