GTCO Set to Celebrate 15 Years of Autism Advocacy at 2025 Autism Conference
By Azeez Disu
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc) is set to host the 15th edition of its annual Autism Conference from July 15th to 16th, 2025, in Lagos, marking a significant milestone in its journey of advancing autism inclusion and deepening awareness across Nigeria and Africa. This year’s event promises to be grander, celebrating GTCO’s impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that have transformed countless lives over the past 15 years.
The comprehensive program also includes a one-on-one family consultations, scheduled for July 17th to 19th, 2025. Attendance to all events is free, encouraging widespread participation, with programs starting daily at 10 AM. The conference will convene at the Muson Centre, Onikan, while the vital One-on-One Family Consultation will be held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja. Esteemed professionals are slated to speak on the theme, “From Awareness to Action: 15 Years of Advancing Autism Inclusion,” alongside other vital topics, with renowned specialists providing direct consultations to families and children.
GTCO GCEO, Segun Agbaje, elaborated on the choice of this year’s theme, emphasizing the bank’s unwavering 15-year commitment to autism advocacy. “This theme challenges us to deepen our understanding, push for better systems, and ensure that individuals on the autism spectrum are not just supported, but empowered, included, and celebrated,” Agbaje stated. He further highlighted, “The 15th-year milestone is a reaffirmation of our commitment, a reminder that inclusion and acceptance is a responsibility, and that progress is measured not only by policies and Programmes but the everyday opportunities we create for every child and every individual.” This ambitious initiative forms a core part of the bank’s continuous efforts to champion better systems and foster autism inclusion.
Speaking passionately at the bank’s 15th Autism Conference Media Briefing held at its head office in Lagos, Oyinade Adegite, Chief Communication Officer for GTCO Plc, underscored the organization’s deep commitment to the cause. “The autism program is an initiative we will continue to support; it’s a cause that’s very close to our heart as an organization,” she affirmed. “We often ask ourselves what can be worthier than giving a voice to people who don’t have a voice. Even when we can speak, we sometimes feel unheard. Imagine for children and adults who don’t even know ways of expressing themselves and calling on society and communities to understand the differences.”
Adegite further articulated the essence of the initiative: “It’s about embracing the different ways they express themselves and ensuring that we include people whom we might not necessarily understand on the surface. We must look deep within ourselves to comprehend that we still have the capability to include and embrace differences, and that’s what makes humanity so beautiful.” She added that “over the years we’ve expanded beyond Nigeria, we have moved to Ghana and this is an initiative we hope to carry across and make it Pan-African.”
The impact of GTCO’s advocacy was vividly echoed by speakers from the medical and advocacy communities. Dr. Grace Bamgboye, a Consultant Speech-Language Pathologist, celebrated the monumental shift in societal attitudes towards children with developmental delays. “Way back, when you heard ‘developmental delays,’ people would keep their children at home or with grandma in the village, wanting no one to see them or associate with the fact that their family had a developmental delay,” she recalled. Dr. Bamgboye shared a poignant personal anecdote, revealing that even as a young therapist, people questioned her career choice, asking, “Who wants to train a child that has no future?”
She expressed immense gratitude for the profound change, largely attributing it to GTBank’s platform for awareness. “That language changed,” she declared enthusiastically. “With GT Bank coming in on the platform awareness, trust me, you don’t want to see the age of kids being brought into the clinic. From 18 months, they’re bringing them now. 11 months, they’re bringing them now. In the past, you don’t get to see kids until they are 5 years, but now we’re seeing them at 11 months, and that’s thanks to GTCO.”
Solape Azazi, a passionate autism advocate, parent navigator, and founder of The Launch Special Needs Initiative, shared her deeply personal journey, which began directly with GT Bank. “I am very grateful to GT Bank because my journey actually started with GT Bank,” she explained. “I remember 8 years ago when I walked into the conference and I stood and I asked the question, ‘My child has autism. I’m the first person in my entire family that is going to say my child has autism, where do I go? What do I do?'”
Azazi credits the platform with enabling her progress and finding crucial support. “If there was not a platform like that for me to go to and ask that question, stand there and raise my hand, I don’t know how I would have progressed,” she admitted. She found community and guidance, being handheld by “people like Dr. Chris and then a whole lot of people that formed a community with me at that conference.” Today, she proudly advocates not just for her son, but for “a whole lot more children.”
Osezusi Bolodeoku, an educational psychologist and behavior analyst, and founder of FOS ABA Centre Clinic, highlighted the crucial role of early intervention and accessible practical strategies for parents. “This year, we’ll be talking about giving really, really practical strategies that parents could use,” she stated, strongly urging parents to attend. “Not everybody can afford to come to my clinic. Not everybody can afford to see Dr. Grace. Not everybody has direct access. However, when you know what to do in your house, that’s when you know.”
Bolodeoku emphasized the transformative power of early action, sharing her personal experience: “Like Dr. Grace said, people are coming in as early as 18 months. I started intervention with my son when he was 17 months, and it’s 12 years now, you wouldn’t know a thing. So early intervention is really key. We don’t just say that; we say it because it is what it is.” She also pointed out the continuing need for deeper understanding beyond mere awareness: “We know that there’s autism, but people really don’t know what autism is. We’re shedding light into the true meaning of autism, thanks to GTB that we’re here.”
Beyond Lagos, GTCO is significantly expanding its outreach, taking its programs to Ghana from July 21st to 24th, 2025. A one-day workshop and three days of one-on-one family consultations will be held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana, daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, marking a pivotal step towards a Pan-African initiative.
The long-standing initiative, which commendably commenced in 2009, is rooted in GTCO’s unwavering commitment to advocate for children living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), striving to eliminate stigmatization and provide vital support to parents and caregivers. This commitment led to the establishment of the Orange Ribbon Initiative, a key component of its CSR efforts focusing on developmental disabilities, particularly ASD. The annual GTCO Autism Conference specifically aims to amplify the challenges faced by individuals with ASD and offer practical support for their successful integration into society. Over the years, thousands of individuals with ASD and their families have profoundly benefited from complimentary consultations with renowned specialists and the robust discussions at the conference.
Among the distinguished facilitators for this year’s conference are: Benedict O. Sama (Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Behavior Analyst, and Researcher), Remi Olutimayin (Writer, Editor, Copywriter, Producer, Voice Actor, and Director), Camille Proctor (Founder, Executive Director, Advocate, Public Speaker, Researcher, and Mom), Osezusi Bolodeoku (International Behavior Analyst and Qualified Autism Services Practitioner), Bernadette N. Kilo, M.D (Developmental Paediatrics), Afeez AbdulRasak (Early Childhood Education and Special Education), Ade Otubanjo (Speech Pathologist), Georgiana Koyama (Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Founder, All Behaviour Consultancy Ltd), and Solape Azazi (International Behaviour Analyst, Autism Advocate, and Founder Cradle Lounge).
Additional facilitators include: Camiella Hay (Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst), Prof. Mashudat Bello-Mojeed (Psychiatrist), Oyeyemi Patricia Adako (SEN, Autism advocate, and Internationally Published Researcher), Lanre Duyile (Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and Founder, Behaviourise Int. Canada), Rashard Dobbins (Equity Champion, Mental Health Advocate and Musical Innovator), and Tomi Agboola – Odeleye (Speech and Language Therapist). The event will also feature special renditions and performances to enhance its impact.