Accessibility Statement

Our Commitment

The West Africa Economic Summit (WAES) is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.

Conformance Status

We aim to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these.

Accessibility Features

Our website includes the following accessibility features:

• Keyboard Navigation: All interactive elements can be accessed using a keyboard
• Screen Reader Compatibility: Semantic HTML and ARIA labels for assistive technologies
• Focus Indicators: Visible focus outlines with gold color (#D4AF37) for keyboard users
• Skip to Content: Skip navigation link at the top of each page
• Descriptive Alt Text: All images include meaningful alternative text
• Color Contrast: Text and UI elements meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios (4.5:1)
• Responsive Design: Website works across different devices and screen sizes
• Form Labels: All form inputs have explicit labels and error messages
• Heading Structure: Proper hierarchy with one H1 per page
• Video Captions: Videos include captions or transcripts where available
• Reduced Motion: Respects prefers-reduced-motion user preferences
• Language Attributes: Proper lang attributes for multilingual content

Assistive Technologies

Our website is designed to be compatible with the following assistive technologies:

• Screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver)
• Screen magnification software
• Speech recognition software
• Keyboard-only navigation

Known Limitations

Despite our best efforts, some limitations may exist:

• Some third-party embedded content may not be fully accessible
• Older PDF documents may not meet current accessibility standards
• Some images in the gallery may have generic descriptions pending detailed cataloging

We are actively working to address these limitations and improve accessibility across all content.

Browser and Assistive Technology Support

This website is designed to work with recent versions of the following browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari (macOS and iOS)

Feedback and Contact

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of the WAES website. If you encounter accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:

Ongoing Efforts

WAES is committed to ongoing accessibility improvements. We conduct regular accessibility audits, provide training to our team, and incorporate accessibility best practices into our development process. Accessibility is not a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment.

Assessment and Testing

This website has been assessed using a combination of automated testing tools and manual evaluation by accessibility experts. We regularly test with assistive technologies to ensure compatibility.

Formal Approval

This accessibility statement was approved by the WAES Secretariat on November 15, 2025, and is reviewed and updated annually.