Mental health is an important but often under-resourced component of public health across Africa. Shortages of trained professionals, limited institutional capacity and gaps in policies and services continue to constrain countries’ ability to address growing mental health needs. Responding to these challenges requires sustained investment in leadership, workforce development and the integration of mental health into national health systems.
The Africa CDC Mental Health Leadership Programme (MHLP) works with African Union Member States to develop a new generation of public mental health leaders, strengthen institutions and support sustainable, evidence-informed policy reforms. The programme promotes a public health and human rights approach, with an emphasis on inclusive governance, community participation and the involvement of people with lived experience.
Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the programme brings together leadership development, specialised training, policy advocacy and institutional partnerships. It delivers its activities through the Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Programme, the Field Epidemiology Training Programme, and public mental health leadership courses offered in collaboration with universities across all five African regions.
The programme has graduated 10 mental health fellows, enrolled 46 trainees in mental health-focused field epidemiology cohorts and trained more than 380 professionals through leadership short courses. It also works with civil society organisations, professional networks and organisations representing persons with disabilities to encourage more inclusive mental health policies and programmes.
At the country level, the programme supports policy dialogue and institutional reform. In Sierra Leone, for example, Africa CDC facilitated stakeholder engagement around proposed mental health legislation, drawing on experiences and peer learning from Nigeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Looking ahead to 2027–2030, Africa CDC will prioritise developing a critical mass of public mental health leaders, building institutional capacity, improving multisectoral coordination and generating evidence to guide national policies and programmes. The long-term objective is to enable Member States to establish stronger, more equitable and people-centred mental health systems.
