NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8 – High costs and shortages of skilled personnel are limiting access to assistive technology across Africa, leaving millions of people without products that could improve their ability to work, learn and live independently.
The challenge is becoming an increasingly important economic issue as governments seek to expand access to spectacles, hearing aids, wheelchairs and other devices that support participation in education and employment.
The WHO-UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology estimates that more than 2.5 billion people globally need at least one assistive product, while nearly one billion are unable to access them. In some low-income settings, services meet as little as three percent of demand.
The World Health Organization identifies high prices, weak financing, limited product availability, fragmented services and shortages of trained personnel among the main barriers to access.
The skills shortage is particularly pronounced in eye care, where basic vision correction is among the largest areas of assistive technology need.
Data from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness shows that Sub-Saharan Africa has a median of only two optometrists per million people, compared with 156 per million in high-income regions.
In a 21-country regional study, the availability of optometrists outside capital cities fell to 0.9 per million people, highlighting the difficulty of delivering basic refractive services to rural and underserved communities.
The shortage means patients with straightforward vision needs can face long distances and additional costs to access services, while limited specialist capacity can make it harder for health systems to address demand at scale.
“Global commitments matter, but access becomes real only when a person can get the right product, at a price they can afford, close to where they live. That last mile is where policy becomes participation,” said Bradley Heslop and Adam Boxer, Co-CEOs of Dot Glasses.
“This World Sight Day, we are calling on governments, health systems, funders, employers and communities to each play their part in removing the barriers that still keep people from basic eye care,” they added.
The issue has gained renewed global attention following the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 80/305 in September, the first UNGA resolution specifically dedicated to access to assistive technology.
Sponsored by 41 member states and adopted without a vote, the resolution seeks to place affordable and quality assistive technology more firmly within universal health coverage and sustainable development.
For Africa, implementation will require more than policy commitments, with governments needing to address financing, procurement, workforce training, distribution and maintenance of assistive products.
The economic stakes extend beyond healthcare. Poor access to vision correction, mobility devices and hearing technology can affect school attendance, workplace participation and productivity, increasing the wider cost of exclusion.
