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The purpose of this paper is to respond to the country report about understanding disability in Nigeria by highlighting the important points that it raises and suggesting further areas for exploration.

The authors identify the main themes of the paper and situate these within an African context, recognizing the diversity of African countries while at the same time arguing that it is imperative for African countries to look to research from each other in addition to that emanating from the Global North.

The issues of terminology and lack of demographic detail in the Nigerian context are discussed and suggestions made as to how these might begin to be addressed. Features of the African context which are apparent in Nigeria, such as poverty, a very young population and the effects of forced migration, are amplified with reference to literature from other low-income countries. The significance of family care in this context is highlighted and identified as a focus for future research.

This paper speaks to the need to build an African body of knowledge around disability that is not ignorant of the literature from the Global North but which incorporates this knowledge in a critical way to understand better the African context.