CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: ToR for Engagement of a Technical Expert for the Review and Operationalisation of the INEC Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Electoral Process

TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)

Engagement of a Technical Expert for the Review and Operationalisation of the INEC Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Electoral Process

ABOUT TAF AFRICA

TAF Africa is an independent non-governmental organization registered in Nigeria in 2006/2007, originally established as The Albino Foundation. It has since evolved from a focus on persons with albinism to a broader disability inclusion mandate. TAF Africa advocates for the rights, dignity, and full inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups, working across Nigeria to eliminate discrimination, stigma, and barriers to participation in social, political, and economic life.

TAF Africa envisions an inclusive society that empowers PWDs to actively participate in all spheres of development. Its mission is to collaborate with state and non-state actors to advance rights and dignity through policy and legislative reforms, education, and empowerment initiatives. The organization’s work spans advocacy and public awareness, capacity building, accessibility audits, and strategic partnerships with public and private institutions. Guided by values of transparency, equity, accountability, mutual respect, professionalism, integrity, and collaboration, TAF Africa focuses on inclusive education, political participation and electoral reforms, economic empowerment, access to justice, and inclusive healthcare. You can learn more about TAF Africa at https://tafafrica.co/

PROJECT CONTEXT

This assignment is situated within the European Union-funded programme – EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 5b, which focuses on enhancing the political participation of PWDs and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

This assignment is designed to strengthen the political participation of PWDs in the electoral process by facilitating direct engagement with election management bodies, political parties, and civil society organizations. The intervention will create an inclusive political environment, inspire institutional commitments, influence policy reforms, and expand both the pool and capacity of PWDs aspiring for and occupying elective positions.

INEC FRAMEWORK CONTEXT

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) developed the Framework on Access and Participation of PWDs in the Electoral Process in 2018 to address systemic barriers to inclusion within Nigeria’s electoral system. The Framework promotes the equal participation of PWDs as voters, candidates, and electoral officials, and is grounded in national laws as well as international instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It outlines clear strategic objectives, actions, and an accompanying Operational Plan designed to guide implementation and institutionalise inclusive electoral practices.

Despite its strong foundation, implementation of the Framework has been limited and even outdated, necessitating a comprehensive review and update. In particular, the Framework requires alignment with the Electoral Act 2026, integration of emerging best practices in disability inclusion, and a more comprehensive operationalisation strategy. Strengthening these elements is critical to ensuring that the Framework effectively supports inclusive participation and delivers meaningful impact ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The overall purpose of this consultancy is to review, update, and support the INEC in operationalising its Framework on Access and Participation of PWDs, ensuring that it is aligned with current legal and policy frameworks, practically implementable, inclusive, and responsive to stakeholder needs, and supported by a clear, actionable, and results-oriented implementation plan.

Objectives of the Assignment

The objective of the assignment includes to:

Review the existing INEC PWD Framework (2018) and its Operational Plan
Align the Framework with current legal and policy instruments, especially the Electoral Act 2026 and the National Disability Act 2018.
Integrate emerging best practices in disability-inclusive electoral processes
Facilitate stakeholder validation and ownership of the revised Framework
Strengthen INEC’s institutional capacity for implementation
Develop a comprehensive results-oriented implementation plan

SCOPE OF WORK

The Technical Expert will undertake the following tasks:

Desk Review and Analysis

Conduct a comprehensive review of the current INEC Framework and Operational Plan to assess structure, objectives, and implementation effectiveness.
Identify and analyse implementation gaps and assess the continued relevance of existing strategies and provisions.
Examine applicable legal frameworks, policies, and international electoral standards to determine alignment and compliance.
Benchmark global best practices on inclusive electoral processes and extract applicable lessons for contextual adaptation.

Stakeholder Consultations

Engage key stakeholders, including:
Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD)
Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs)
INEC departments (especially Gender and Inclusivity Unit)
Civil Society Organizations and development partners
Document inputs and recommendations

Framework Review and Revision

The expert will be expected to update the Framework to reflect current legal provisions, address identified gaps, and strengthen strategic objectives and actions, while improving clarity, coherence, and usability.

Development of Operational/Implementation Plan

Develop a detailed implementation plan that clearly outlines strategic actions with specific timelines for execution.
Define and assign roles and responsibilities across all relevant INEC structures to ensure accountability and coordination.
Establish a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework to track progress, measure outcomes, and inform decision-making.
Identify potential risks and put in place practical mitigation strategies to reduce their likelihood and impact.
Prepare the required resources estimate to support successful implementation.

Validation Workshop

Facilitate a multi-stakeholder validation session to review and agree on the framework.
Present the revised framework and implementation plan to stakeholders for consideration.
Incorporate received feedback and finalize all documents for approval and use.

Capacity Building

Design and deliver a one-day capacity-enrichment session for National INEC Disability Desk Officers.
Develop comprehensive training materials and practical tools to support the session and ongoing implementation.
Design and deliver a one-day capacity-enrichment session for INEC Disability Desk Officers on the implementation of the disability inclusion framework, applying inclusive electoral practices, and strengthening monitoring and reporting systems.

KEY DELIVERABLES

The assignment is expected to be conducted over a period of 8 weeks, with the expected deliverables:

S/N	Deliverables	Timeline
1	Inception Report (methodology, work plan, timeline)	1 week
2	Reviewed INEC Framework on PWD Access and Participation	3 weeks
3	Comprehensive Implementation/Operational Plan	1 week
4	Stakeholder Consultation Report & Validation Workshop Report	1 week
5	Capacity Building Materials and Report	1 week
6	Final Consolidated Report	1 week

Reporting and Coordination

The Technical Expert will report to the TAF Africa representative, work closely with INEC’s Gender and Inclusivity Department, and coordinate with relevant stakeholders throughout the assignment to ensure effective implementation and alignment of activities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The Technical Expert should possess an advanced degree in Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Development Studies, or a related field, along with a strong academic and professional grounding relevant to governance and institutional reform.

The role requires at least 10 years of relevant experience in electoral processes and governance, disability inclusion and human rights, as well as policy development and institutional strengthening. A strong understanding of the Nigerian electoral system, its legal frameworks, and applicable disability rights standards is essential.

The ideal candidate must demonstrate proven experience in policy review and development, stakeholder engagement, and the design and delivery of capacity-building and training programmes, along with strong analytical and report-writing skills. They should also possess excellent facilitation and communication abilities, strong consensus-building skills, and the capacity to deliver high-quality outputs within agreed timelines.

Ethical Considerations

The technical expert must demonstrate a strong commitment to ethical standards by ensuring the meaningful participation of PWDs at all stages, integrating accessibility and inclusion throughout the assignment, and upholding strict confidentiality, integrity, and professionalism at all times.

5.3. Submission of Applications

Interested consultants/firms shall submit:

Technical proposal (brief)
Methodology and workplan
CVs of key personnel
Sample of similar work
Financial proposal

To Apply: Engagement of a Technical Expert for the Review and Operationalisation of the INEC Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Electoral ProcessCall For Applications: Disability Inclusion Survey in Public and Private Schools

Applications Close: on a rolling basis

TAF Africa Successful Election Observation Mission on Disability Inclusion and the Overall Voting Experience Of Persons With Disabilities at the 2026 Ekiti State Gubernatorial Election

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Inside the Joint EU Election Hub: How TAF Africa Tracked Ekiti’s Election in Real Time

Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State — 20 June 2026 Long before the polls closed, the story of Ekiti’s governorship election was already being written — not on ballot papers, but on screens. On the morning of 20 June 2026, the Afe Babalola Civic Centre in Ado-Ekiti became the nerve centre of TAF Africa’s election observation operation. Inside, the PWD Election Hub hummed with quiet urgency: coordinators, data analysts, communication officers, and technology support personnel worked side by side, watching a steady stream of real-time reports arrive from observers stationed across 150 polling units throughout the state. A Living Picture of Election Day Each report told a small piece of a much bigger story. Submitted through the TAF Disability Hub Application (available at https://electionhub.org.ng/), observer reports captured critical data points as they happened: polling unit accessibility, the availability of assistive devices, the conduct of election officials, voter turnout among persons with disabilities, incidents of discrimination, and the provision of priority voting services. Rather than waiting until the end of the day to understand what had happened, the Hub allowed TAF Africa to see the election as it unfolded — accessibility gaps, service breakdowns, and moments of good practice surfacing in near real time, not buried in a report written days later. More Than Data Collection — A Command Centre The Hub’s role went beyond gathering numbers. It also served as the coordination centre for the 25 sign language interpreters deployed to 24 polling units across the state, enabling real-time troubleshooting, emergency communication, and swift incident management whenever an interpreter or voter needed support. This dual function — data hub and operations centre — meant that when something went wrong on the ground, it didn’t have to wait to be noticed. It could be flagged, escalated, and addressed while the polls were still open. Capturing the Full Arc of the Day To build a complete, longitudinal picture of the electoral environment, observers were instructed to submit reports at three fixed points: the opening of polls, midday, and the close of polls. This structure allowed the Hub to track not just isolated incidents, but how accessibility and voter experience shifted as the day progressed — from the first ballots cast to the final tally. By the time voting ended, 150 observer reports had been received, processed, and entered into the observation database — a complete dataset spanning every deployed polling unit in the exercise. Turning Real-Time Data into Lasting Insight The PWD Election Hub is more than a control room for a single election day. It is a demonstration of what disability-inclusive election observation can look like when technology, coordination, and clear protocols work together: a system built not just to watch an election happen, but to make sure the experiences of persons with disabilities are documented, understood, and acted on — as they happen, not after the fact. As TAF Africa continues to refine this model, the Hub stands as a template for how future elections across Nigeria can be observed with greater speed, accuracy, and accountability. This operation was carried out by TAF Africa under efforts to strengthen inclusive, credible, and evidence-based election observation in Nigeria.

Breaking the Hearing Impairment Barrier: 25 Sign Language Interpreters Deployed to Support Deaf Voters in Ekiti

Ekiti State — June 2026 Governorship Election For deaf voters, an election is often a silent struggle before it is a civic right. Instructions are shouted across polling units. Procedures are explained once, quickly, in words that never reach them. For years, this communication gap has quietly excluded persons with hearing impairments from fully and independently exercising their right to vote. In Ekiti State, that gap narrowed. Building on the success of a similar deployment in Anambra State, TAF Africa trained and deployed 25 Sign Language Interpreters (SLIs) to polling units with a significant presence of deaf voters during the Ekiti State Governorship Election — a deliberate, targeted push to remove communication barriers and make the ballot box accessible to all. Preparing the Interpreters Before deployment, the interpreters took part in a one-day virtual training designed to prepare them for the realities of the election environment. The session covered electoral procedures, voter assistance protocols, ethical considerations, communication standards, and the specific roles and responsibilities of an SLI on election day — ensuring that support at the polling unit would be not just present, but professional, consistent, and rights-respecting. Finding the Voters Who Needed Them Good intentions only translate into impact when they reach the right people in the right places. To make sure they did, TAF Africa partnered with the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Nigeria (ASLIN) and the Ekiti State Association of the Deaf to identify exactly where deaf voters were registered to vote. By cross-referencing INEC data with the deaf association’s own database, the team mapped registered deaf voters to specific polling units across selected Local Government Areas — turning a broad commitment to inclusion into a precise, data-driven deployment plan. On the Ground, on Election Day The 25 trained interpreters were deployed to polling units across six LGAs: Ado Ekiti, Ekiti West, Ikere, Ido/Osi, Ijero, and Oye. Of the 25 deployed, 23 successfully supported their assigned deaf voters and submitted deployment reports — a strong completion rate that speaks to both the quality of preparation and the commitment of the interpreters themselves. Their presence meant that electoral information, voting procedures, and voter education messages reached deaf voters clearly and directly — not filtered through guesswork or a well-meaning stranger’s improvised gestures, but communicated by trained professionals who understood both the language and the stakes. The Numbers Behind the Impact In total, 103 deaf voters received interpretation support across 24 polling units in the six participating LGAs. S/N LGA Polling Units SLIs Deployed Deaf Voters Reached 1 Ado Ekiti 15 14 47 2 Ekiti West 1 1 1 3 Ikere 2 2 5 4 Ido/Osi 1 1 2 5 Ijero 2 2 44 6 Oye 3 3 4 Total 24 23 103 Deaf voters reached with SLI support by LGA during the Ekiti State Governorship Election, 20 June 2026. A Precedent Worth Repeating Feedback from beneficiaries and stakeholders was consistent: the presence of trained sign language interpreters made a real difference in how deaf voters experienced the election — not as passive recipients of assistance, but as informed, independent participants in the democratic process. More than a single election-day intervention, the initiative sets an important precedent. It shows that with the right partnerships, the right data, and the right training, electoral inclusion for persons with hearing impairments is not an aspiration — it is achievable, replicable, and measurable. As TAF Africa continues to champion inclusive democratic participation, this deployment stands as evidence of what’s possible when accessibility is designed into the electoral process from the start, rather than added as an afterthought.

TAF Africa Trains 150 Election Observers Ahead of Ekiti Governorship Election

Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State — 17–18 June 2026 As dawn broke over Ekiti State, a diverse group of citizens began arriving at the training venue with a shared sense of purpose. Teachers, community advocates, youth leaders, disability rights champions, and civic-minded volunteers gathered for one reason: to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. Within days, they would be deployed across polling units as election observers — the eyes and ears of democracy — tasked with documenting not only what happened on election day, but also whether every eligible voter, including persons with disabilities, was given an equal opportunity to participate. Recognizing that effective observation takes more than goodwill, TAF Africa convened a two-day training designed to turn this group into informed, objective, and technologically equipped monitors. By the end, they left not merely as observers, but as ambassadors of democratic inclusion. A Cornerstone of Inclusive Election Observation The training in Ekiti State served as a cornerstone of TAF Africa’s election observation strategy under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme. Its focus: strengthening inclusive, credible, and evidence-based election observation ahead of the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election. The programme equipped participants with the knowledge, practical skills, and technological tools required for effective monitoring — with a deliberate emphasis on accessibility, inclusion, and the protection of voting rights for marginalized groups, particularly persons with disabilities (PWDs). While the original plan was to train 150 observers across two batches of 75, turnout told its own story of commitment: 48 observers attended on the first day and 102 on the second. In total, the training reached all 150 registered observers, building a strong network of prepared, informed monitors ready to support a transparent and inclusive electoral process. Setting the Tone The training opened with registration, prayers, and the national anthem, followed by a welcome session led by George Anwayi, Assistant Programme Manager of TAF Africa. He introduced participants to the workshop’s objectives and underscored the significance of their role in promoting electoral accountability and inclusion — stressing professionalism, neutrality, and integrity throughout. Participants also shared their own backgrounds and prior experience in election observation and civic engagement, helping build the collaborative learning environment that carried through the technical sessions to come. Putting Inclusion at the Center A key session, facilitated by Dr. Andrew Adaji, Programme Manager of TAF Africa, gave participants an overview of TAF Africa’s Election Inclusion Strategy under the EU-SDGN Programme. The session unpacked the barriers voters with disabilities routinely face and the interventions TAF Africa has implemented to improve accessibility, voter education, and participation. Participants were introduced to the disability-inclusive indicators that would guide their observation activities on election day — a reminder that credible election monitoring means paying close attention to accessibility measures at polling units and to the lived experiences of marginalized groups. Standards of Conduct and Staying Safe Another core component covered the role of election observers and the standards expected of them: impartiality, objectivity, confidentiality, and professionalism. Facilitators also addressed security awareness and personal safety, guiding observers on how to manage risk, avoid confrontation, and maintain clear communication with relevant authorities on election day. Scenario-based discussions helped participants understand both their responsibilities and the limits of their role as accredited observers. Technology in the Field: The TAF Disability Hub Application Facilitated by Kohol Iornav, TAF Africa’s Information Technology Officer, this session introduced participants to the TAF Disability Hub Application — a digital platform built to support real-time election observation and reporting. Observers learned to document incidents, upload reports, submit eyewitness accounts, and capture data through the platform. A live demonstration and hands-on practice gave participants confidence in using technology for accurate, timely reporting — a critical capability for the days ahead. Practicing with the Observers’ Checklist Dr. Andrew Adaji also led a practical session on the Election Observers’ Checklist, a key tool for gathering standardized, credible data. The checklist covers indicators such as polling unit accessibility, voter assistance, the conduct of election officials, security presence, availability of election materials, and the participation of persons with disabilities. Participants practiced applying the checklist to simulated election scenarios, learning to record observations objectively and steer clear of subjective interpretation. Learning Through Role-Play To bring the training to life, Jennifer Dafwat, Senior Communication Officer at TAF Africa, led group discussions and role-play exercises simulating common election-day situations — from interacting with election officials and reporting incidents, to observing accessibility challenges and engaging with voters with disabilities. These sessions encouraged teamwork and critical thinking, gave facilitators a chance to clear up misconceptions, and — according to participant feedback — stood out as among the most valuable parts of the entire training. Ready for Election Day The training closed with a reflection session and remarks from Dr. Andrew Adaji, as participants shared key lessons learned and voiced their readiness to take on their observation duties during the governorship election. Facilitators reinforced one central message: objective, timely, and credible reporting is what will strengthen democratic governance and electoral inclusion in Ekiti State. With 160 observers now trained and equipped, TAF Africa’s network stands ready to serve as the eyes and ears of democracy — and to make sure the voices and experiences of persons with disabilities are visible throughout Ekiti State’s electoral process.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: ToR for Engagement of a Technical Expert for the Review and Operationalisation of the INEC Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Electoral Process

Engagement of a Technical Expert for the Review and Operationalisation of the INEC Framework on Access and Participation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Electoral Process

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TAF Africa Successful Election Observation Mission on Disability Inclusion and the Overall Voting Experience Of Persons With Disabilities at the 2026 Ekiti State Gubernatorial Election

Inside the Joint EU Election Hub: How TAF Africa Tracked Ekiti’s Election in Real Time

Breaking the Hearing Impairment Barrier: 25 Sign Language Interpreters Deployed to Support Deaf Voters in Ekiti

TAF Africa Trains 150 Election Observers Ahead of Ekiti Governorship Election

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