African Union of the Blind

What African Union of the Blind does

African Union of the Blind (AFUB) is a continental, non-governmental, non-profit federation of national organizations of and for blind and partially sighted persons in Africa, established in October 1987 in Tunis, Tunisia under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union). It operates under the dual mandates of being the AU-recognized continental disability representative body and the regional Union of the World Blind Union in Africa. AFUB serves blind and partially sighted individuals across at least 20 African countries, with member organizations in anglophone, francophone, lusophone, and hispanophone jurisdictions.

AFUB does not sell commercial products or services and has no proprietary technology platform; its core deliverables are advocacy campaigns (most prominently the multi-year drive for ratification of the African Disability Protocol), capacity-building training for national member organizations, thematic programs such as Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) in Congo Brazzaville and Lesotho, and convening governance forums including the General Assembly, Youth Committee, and Women Committee Forum. Active project delivery spans Congo Brazzaville, Malawi, Lesotho, and Togo, alongside the completed ARADI project (2017-2020) implemented with African Disability Alliance and CBM Germany under EU funding.

Revenue is generated exclusively through grants and donations from a diversified institutional donor base (notably the European Union, NORAD, CBM Germany, Sightsavers, Light for the World, and European national blind associations including NABP, SRF, DAB, and MyRight). The headquarters is listed in Rabat, Morocco, while the Constitution designates the Secretariat as located in Nairobi, Kenya; staff headcount is small (approximately six identified personnel) and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

African Union of the Blind

Legal name

African Union of the Blind (AFUB)

Website

https://afub-uafa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

African Union of the Blind (AFUB) is a continental NGO established in 1987 under the African Union that advocates for the rights, social inclusion, and full participation of blind and partially sighted persons across Africa through policy campaigns, capacity-building programs, and a federation of national member organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights, Social Inclusion & Disability Inclusion (BPAGABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Disability rights advocacy
• Nonprofit advocacy services
• Capacity building programs
• African policy advocacy
• Human rights NGO

Headquarters

HQ city

Rabat

HQ country

Morocco

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AFUB is a continental NGO that advocates for the rights, social inclusion, and full participation in development of blind and partially sighted persons across Africa. It promotes the ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol (ADP) by African Union member states, delivers capacity-building and training programs for national member associations, and runs targeted initiatives such as the ARADI project and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) programs. Operations are funded through grants, donations, and partnerships with international development agencies and sister disability organizations.

Product overview

African Union of the Blind (AFUB) is a continental non-governmental advocacy organization, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services. The organization focuses on advocacy for disability rights, capacity building, awareness campaigns, and project implementation related to promoting the rights and inclusion of blind and partially sighted persons across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARADI Project (Alliances for Rights – Africa towards Disability Inclusion) A three-year continental advocacy project enabling civil-society and Pan-African disability federations to participate in African Union decisions, policies, and laws on disability rights; delivered in partnership with ADA and CBM Germany and funded by the EU. Target users are national member organizations and DPOs across Africa.
• Promoting the Ratification of the African Disability Protocol in Lesotho

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• SightsaversmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration on Africa Day 2023 webinar focusing on African Disability Protocol. Sightsavers co-hosted the virtual event calling for African governments to ratify the ADP.
• Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (SRF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Development partner supporting AFUB activities including youth programs and sporting activities. SRF representatives participated in the AFUB Youth Conference in Nairobi (April 2019) and provided knowledge on youth and sporting programmes.
• African Disability Alliance (ADA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership through the ARADI (Alliances for Rights - Africa towards Disability Inclusion) project. ADA, CBM Germany, and AFUB implement this EU-funded three-year program aimed at enabling civil society organisations and Pan-African disability federations to participate in African Union decisions, policies, and laws related to disability rights.
• Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (NABP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Long-standing partnership since 2011 focused on strengthening Portuguese and Spanish-speaking member organizations of AFUB. NABP has also funded the Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) project in Congo Brazzaville and Lesotho, and bank stakeholder training programs in Lesotho.
• African Union (AU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFUB operates under the auspices of the African Union. The organization maintains official relations with the AU and works to influence continental policies, decisions, and laws related to disability rights.
• World Blind Union (WBU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFUB constitutes the regional Union of the World Blind Union in Africa. The organizations collaborate on global disability rights initiatives and Marrakesh Treaty advocacy.
• International Disability Alliance (IDA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFUB participates in IDA initiatives including global advocacy for inclusive COVID-19 response. IDA is a global network of organizations of persons with disabilities.
• MyRightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner acknowledged for supporting AFUB Women Committee Forum and organizational activities.
• Danish Association of the Blind (DAB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner acknowledged for supporting AFUB activities and General Assembly.
• International Council for the Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Africa, with representative present at AFUB Kenya ARADI Campaign Team unveiling.
• Inclusion AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPO partner represented at the Kenya ARADI Campaign Team meeting in September 2017.
• Kenya Union of the Blind (KUB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational DPO partner in Kenya, member of the Kenya ARADI Campaign Team.
• United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational DPO partner in Kenya, member of the Kenya ARADI Campaign Team.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI): Global organization focused specifically on education of people with visual impairment. Has participated in AFUB events (Kenya ARADI Campaign Team), with overlapping blindness-focused constituency and donor ecosystem but a more education-centric mission.

Direct peers

• Light for the World: International disability inclusion NGO that has funded AFUB activities (e.g., South Sudan Blind Football Team, 2020). Operates the same disability-rights advocacy and inclusive-development model in African countries.
• World Blind Union (WBU): Global umbrella federation of which AFUB is the African regional Union. WBU operates the same blind-rights advocacy model across all world regions, making it the most direct structural and mission-aligned peer.
• Sightsavers: International NGO focused on avoidable blindness and disability rights in low-income countries. Co-hosts AFUB events (Africa Day 2023 webinar) and pursues overlapping policy goals around disability inclusion and accessible eye health across Africa.
• International Disability Alliance (IDA): Global network of disability organizations (DPOs) of which AFUB is a member. Coordinates cross-disability advocacy at the UN and AU levels, sharing AFUB's human-rights-advocacy business model and donor ecosystem.
• CBM (CBM Christoffel-Blindenmission): International Christian development organization dedicated to persons with disabilities, co-funding AFUB's ARADI project. Comparable mission, overlapping blindness focus, and shared donor/partnership networks across Africa.
• Inclusion Africa: Continental African network of disabled people's organizations (DPOs) that partners with AFUB (e.g., Kenya ARADI Campaign Team). Closely comparable in continental scope, advocacy model, and AU-facing disability-rights positioning.
• African Disability Alliance (ADA): Pan-African disability federation that co-implements the ARADI project with AFUB. Operates the same continental disability-rights advocacy model across Africa, with overlapping funder base (EU, CBM) and AU-facing engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Humanity & Inclusion (Handicap International): Large international disability and inclusion NGO operating across 60+ countries. Broader than AFUB's blindness-specific mission, but pursues the same disability-rights advocacy and AU/UN policy engagement with overlapping European donor relationships.

Regional players

• National Federation of the Blind (USA): US-based national federation for the blind and a member of the World Blind Union network alongside AFUB. Operates the same blindness-rights advocacy model but in a single (United States) national jurisdiction rather than a continental mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AfricanAfub
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AfricanUnionoftheBlind
• Facebookfacebook.com/100068120696603
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-union-of-the-blind

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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