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Lagos, Nigeria – August 17, 2022: The 12th edition of the annual GTCO Autism Conference themed
"Creating a Community of Awe-Tism Advocates" will hold on Monday and Tuesday, August 29th and
30th, 2022, at MUSON Center, Onikan, Lagos.
The annual Autism Conference is a pivotal component of GTCO’s Orange Ribbon initiative and serves
as a key advocacy platform for people living with autism and other developmental disorders. In recent
years, the GTCO Autism Conference has gained wider acclaim for bringing together some of the
world’s leading experts in Autism, especially with the successful coordination of a fully virtual autism
conference in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. For this year, the GTCO Autism Conference
will feature keynote addresses and panel discussions by experienced specialists from renowned
institutions in Nigeria and abroad in a hybrid set-up to allow for both in-person and virtual
participation. Some of the partnering organisations include Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu,
Autism Compassion Africa, Ghana, The Color of Autism Foundation, USA, Meharry Medical College,
USA, and Behaviorprise Consulting Inc., Canada.
One-on-one consultations and Q&A sessions during the conference will provide opportunities for
parents and other stakeholders to further engage on best practices for proper diagnosis and treatment
of persons on the autism spectrum with the experts. As a special feature and to ensure more persons
with developmental disorders can benefit from professional help, provision has been made to offer
specialist care to autistic children in the areas of speech and behaviour therapy, child psychology and
psychiatry, as well as occupational development for adults living with autism via in-person
consultations at the Chapel of Light, Alausa, Ikeja, starting from Tuesday, August 23rd to Saturday,
August 27th between the hours of 10am and 5pm.
Commenting on the 2022 Autism Conference, Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer of
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc said, "While much has been done over the years to increase the
social consciousness around Autism and to improve the available support systems for managing
developmental disorders, we strongly believe that we can do more individually and collectively to
create and uphold a culture of inclusion towards people with ASD to enable them reach their full
potential.”
Mr Agbaje further stated; “The Orange Ribbon initiative was created to support children and adults
with developmental disabilities with a focus on those with autism spectrum disorders. Now in its 2nd
decade, the annual Autism Conference has over the years created a community of people with a
shared commitment to create better outcomes for those who find themselves in the margins of
society simply because they are different from the rest.”
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) is a leading financial services company providing banking
and non-banking services across eleven countries spanning West Africa, East Africa, and the United
Kingdom. The Group operates a diversified, proudly African franchise and is renowned for its
innovative approach to customer service and stakeholder engagement which has endeared the brand
to millions of people across Africa and beyond.
