Africa

A collaborative initiative by Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa and the Global Disability Innovation Hub is empowering Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Kenya to become stronger advocates and leaders. Through tailored training in advocacy, digital skills, leadership, and organisational development, the programme is enhancing OPDs’ ability to influence policy, strengthen internal capacity, and drive disability-inclusive change.

Our work, in partnership with ATscale, Google, and local organisations in Kenya, India, and Brazil, builds on world-class research and deep community collaboration. Together, we’re exploring how mobile devices can support independence, learning, communication, and inclusion for people with disabilities.

The Inclusive Infrastructure sub-programme, led by GDI Hub, recognises that the built environment, the world where we live, dictates our ability to use the AT we need. Access to the built environment is a fundamental human right, protected by the UN CRPD. However, the world we have designed and built presents a multitude of barriers and challenges for many, including persons with disabilities.

GDI Hub Accelerate is building a global pipeline for inclusive innovation, supporting assistive technology start-ups from idea to scale through research, accelerators, and consultancy in Africa, Asia, and beyond.

The UK Aid-funded AT2030 programme tests ‘what works’ to improve access to life-changing Assistive Technology (AT) for all. Operational in 40+ countries and working with more than 70 global delivery partners, AT2030 has reached 64 million people to date.

AT2030 creates deep community leadership and engagement to generate new evidence & insights, answering critical research questions and developing foundational methodologies to address intersectional challenges and research and evidence gaps. From incubating future tech inspired solutions to venture acceleration, AT2030 brings effective solutions to market - testing new mechanisms and ambitious scaling parthways - while strengthen systems to make inclusion a reality.

Global logistics have been compromised by lockdowns and border controls across Africa and other low to middle-income countries (LMICs), leaving many businesses and citizens without key parts of their supply chain. This condition has exposed the rigid, inflexible state of production in many settings, demonstrating the need for locally resilient, flexible production ecosystems. LPLS is working to develop broader, restorative, and agile supply systems, while providing people with the life-saving health and community resources they need to face current restrictions.

The AT Impact Fund was established to better enable frontier technology solutions to reach people with disabilities in Africa, and to test business models that are most likely to succeed. Assistive Technology Impact Fund is operationalised as a collaboration between GDI Hub, Brink, and Catalyst Fund, providing deep expertise in AT, innovation and venture-building in Africa respectively.