The Chairperson of the National Federation of People with Disabilities in Namibia (NFPDN) says there is a need to address loopholes in the country's national disability policy.

Among the loopholes, Matheus Hashoongo pointed out that the policy is not well known because it is not accessible enough to the public or to people with disabilities.

Furthermore, the policy is out of date, and there is a lack of aggregated data on Namibians with disabilities.

In addition, Hashoongo says the policy does not protect the interests of donors or NGOs that deal with persons with disabilities, nor does it hold the government accountable for the lack of service delivery to them.

He, therefore, noted that all these loopholes have resulted in people with disabilities being excluded from the mainstream of the country's economy and services, as the government is unable to make informed decisions.

He, therefore, recommended that the policy be amended and that a proper budget be allocated to people living with disabilities, as this is currently poorly allocated.

He goes on to say that people with disabilities should be elected to positions of power as well as fully included in democratic processes and that people who stigmatize or discriminate against people living with disabilities should be held accountable through criminal justice.

Hashoongo was speaking at the National Disabilities Conference held in Windhoek today.