Media Advisory: ILO and the Zambia Federation of Employers to organize first roundtable discussion under the theme “Unlocking the potential: A Zambia Business Roundtable on Disability and Employment”

Date: 1 July, 2014
Venue: Taj Pamodzi Hotel, Lusaka, Zambia


LUSAKA, Zambia – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Zambian Federation of Employers (ZFE) are to jointly organize a high-level roundtable for the first time to address the issue of unlocking the economic potential of people with disabilities.

More than 50 representatives from leading companies and employers’ organizations, government, trade unions, and civil society, including disabled person’s organizations, will gather on 1 July to consider the “business case” for employing people with disabilities, as well as concrete action steps that contribute to the training and hiring of workers with disabilities.

The “business case” argues that hiring a qualified person with a disability brings greater benefits beyond just filling an open job. People with disabilities can contribute to a company’s overall competitiveness through benefits such as increased productivity, greater market share and lower job turnover rates.

The roundtable will also provide a major forum for the exchange of views and discussion on the establishment of a Zambia Business and Disability Network. The proposal for the network stems from an earlier meeting on the topic of the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace held in May in Lusaka at which participating companies expressed the need for a platform through which employers and key stakeholders could share knowledge and good practices on employing disabled persons.

Note to the Zambia media:

  • Journalists interested in attending the conference, please contact Ms. Paivi Poyhonen at +260 (0)97 6244071 or email poyhonen@iloguest.org for more information.

For more information about persons with disabilities in Zambia, please see: /wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---ifp_skills/documents/publication/wcms_115100.pdf.