Ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty: New hope for the visually impaired

Senegal is preparing to take a decisive step in promoting equal opportunities for visually impaired people.

The Council of Ministers on July 1, 2026 adopted a law authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty, signed in 2013 under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

This international text aims to facilitate the reproduction in braille, large print or audio formats of published works, to enable accessibility for the blind and people with reading difficulties.

In Thiès, the director of the National Institute for the Education and Training of Blind Youth (INEFJA), Aliou Faye, expressed his relief and gratitude. "We can only rejoice, after having advocated for this for months," he said in an interview with the Senegalese Press Agency (APS).

He believes that this progress puts Senegal in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, by emphasizing non-discrimination, equal opportunities and social inclusion.

The head of INEFJA emphasizes that ratification of the treaty will allow visually impaired students to benefit from the same opportunities as their peers, particularly in accessing books included in school and university curricula. Until now, the lack of texts transcribed into Braille was a major obstacle to their academic success. "Some assessments left them no chance at all," recalls Aliou Faye, who is delighted to see this situation soon become a thing of the past. The institute, which already has a dynamic team working with WIPO ABC to make numerous books accessible, says it is ready to redouble its efforts. Senegalese writers have also agreed to have their works transcribed, demonstrating the availability of a high-quality human resource. Aliou Faye nevertheless calls on the authorities to increase the stock of specialized equipment (thermo-inflatable printers, braille paper, binding machines, reading devices) in order to meet the growing demand. While awaiting the publication of the law in the Official Gazette and its sharing with WIPO, INEFJA is positioning itself as a resource center, ready to collaborate with universities and other organizations to promote the accessibility of knowledge.