Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Aim: The UNCRPD is an international treaty that promotes the advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities. This scoping review aimed to map the evidence on strategies employed by countries in implementing the UNCRPD in Africa and the implementation challenges faced. Method: The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-Scr) was used in this study. Key terms pertinent to the implementation of the UNCRPD in Africa were used to search for literature. Strict eligibility criteria were set and a qualitative data extraction template developed. Two reviewers worked independently to extract and chart data into data extraction forms. An analysis of country reports was also conducted to identify relationships between the African country reports and findings from the studies included in the scoping review. Inductive reasoning enabled the generation of themes. A total of 107 sources were initially retrieved and after a process of screening and exclusion, 31 sources (11 research papers and 20 country reports) were included for inductive analysis. Results: The study revealed evidence of implementation of UNCRPD in Africa, albeit limited, especially to the area of education, and employment. However, there are unique contextual limitations in implementation of UNCRPD in Africa. The country reports reflected similar implementation issues to those identified in studies selected for this paper. Conclusion and Implications: This calls for African governments to broaden focus on implementation of other articles of the UNCRPD in order to create inclusive societies.