Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) pledges stronger commitment to an inclusive copyright framework that expands access to knowledge for persons with visual impairments.
NCC Director-General John Asein made the pledge in a statement issued on Sunday to mark World Braille Day, highlighting the importance of Braille in promoting literacy, independence and dignity. “As we have consistently emphasised, access to knowledge is a right, not a privilege,” Asein says, describing Nigeria’s limited availability of accessible publications as “deeply troubling.”
He notes that fewer than one per cent of Nigerian books exist in Braille, audio or screen-readable formats, a situation widely referred to as the “book famine” in developing countries.
To address the gap, the Copyright Act 2022 incorporates the Marrakesh Treaty under Section 26, allowing authorised organisations to reproduce and share books in accessible formats without infringing copyright. “This shift moves copyright from charity to a rights-based approach,” Asein explains, adding that new NCC guidelines are designed to simplify processes, build stakeholder trust and boost the production of accessible materials.
The NCC’s “Let the Blind Read” initiative continues to drive advocacy and partnerships aimed at expanding educational resources for persons with print disabilities across Nigeria.
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