By Lloydson G.Flomo
MONROVIA, April 12 (LINA) – The Executive Director of the National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) Samuel S. Dean, has admonished the Government of Liberia under the stewardship of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. to adequately invest in robust disability data system.
A robust disability data system refers to a comprehensive and reliable framework for collecting, managing, analyzing, and disseminating data related to individuals with disabilities.
Dean made the call Wednesday April 9, 2025, in a press conference held at the NCD head office in Congo Town, upon his return from Berlin, Germany after a successful completion of the Global Disability Summit.
According to Mr. Dean, proper data collection, particularly through a National Disability Registry, is essential for informing policies related to health, equity, employment, and social protection as it was endorsed during one of the sessions at the summit.
“In terms of data collection, I want to draw your attention to the words of Gopa Mitra, the Global Lead on Disability and Development: ‘Without data, we cannot scale up inclusivity,’ a robust national disability registry is crucial for driving meaningful change in public health, employment, and social protection, Dean indicated.
He further said that over the coming weeks, NCD will launch initiatives to promote self-identification and increase awareness about the importance of disability data collection as he applauded partnership with UNICEF and the innovative use of technology noting that the institution will empower county coordinators to collect vital data through their new app.
“In one of our sessions, I posed an important question regarding preferred methods of data collection—whether representative sampling or a registry system was better, but the overwhelming consensus was a resounding no to the former, reinforcing our commitment to constructing a National Disability Registry,” Dean explained.
The National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) was established by an Act of the Liberian Legislature on November 23, 2005, and officially printed into handbill by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 29 of the same year. The commission operates as an autonomous agency responsible for the welfare and protection of persons with disabilities in Liberia.