WHO Raises Alarm Over Low Mental Health Funding in Africa
By Ali Mohammed Zanna, Maiduguri
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns over inadequate funding and limited access to mental health services across Africa, revealing that only seven of the 47 countries in its African Region have comprehensively integrated mental health care into primary healthcare.
The organisation also disclosed that government spending on mental health in the region averages just $0.07 per person, compared with the global average of $2.69, highlighting the challenges facing millions of people in need of support.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this in a message marking the 2026 World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10.
Janabi said nearly 150 million people across Africa were living with mental health, neurological or substance use conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders.
He warned that stigma, discrimination and inadequate services continued to prevent many people from accessing the care and support they needed.
This year’s World Mental Health Day is being observed under the theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.”
The WHO regional director said the theme underscored the need to move beyond listening to the experiences of people affected by mental health conditions to involving them directly in decisions about healthcare policies and services.
He noted that people with lived experience were often invited to share their personal stories but were excluded from subsequent decision-making processes.
“Listening must lead to participation,” Janabi said, calling for people affected by mental health conditions to be involved in policy development, service design and the strengthening of peer-led initiatives.
According to him, their experiences can help identify gaps in existing services, determine effective forms of support and ensure that mental health care respects the dignity and rights of patients.
Janabi said combining the perspectives of people with lived experience with clinical and public health expertise would make mental health services more responsive and accountable.
He also called for stronger government leadership and increased, sustained funding to address the region’s mental healthcare challenges.
The WHO official expressed concern that mental health services remained fragmented in many countries or concentrated in major urban centres, leaving numerous communities without access to support close to home.
He urged governments to establish formal and sustained mechanisms for involving people with lived experience in mental health policy and service delivery.
He further called on healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and development partners to support the leadership of affected individuals and expand access to compassionate care within communities.
Janabi said WHO was committed to working with governments and communities to expand accessible, rights-based mental health services across the region.
He stressed that the participation of people directly affected by mental health conditions was essential to building inclusive and effective healthcare systems that respond to the needs of those they serve.
The annual World Mental Health Day raises awareness of mental health issues and promotes efforts to improve care, support and understanding for people affected by mental health conditions.
