Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, a day that provides us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to promote positive mental health and amplify our voices to prevent suicide, which remains a major public health problem worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there were over 700,000 deaths from suicide in the world in 2019, with an estimated suicide rate of 9.0 per 100,000 per year1.
On the continent, Africa has six of the ten countries with the highest rates worldwide with a high incidence of suicide among young people – particularly men in the age group 17-35 years. In at least ten African countries, attempted suicide remains a crime, perpetuating stigmatisation and preventing individuals from seeking or accessing adequate support. About 90% of suicide and suicide attempts are associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and depression ranks highest among mental health conditions associated with suicide. Other aggravating factors include the COVID-19 pandemic, socio-economic challenges, domestic violence and different forms of abuse affecting many of our people.
Therefore, this year’s theme for world suicide prevention day “Creating Hope through Action” is aligned to Africa CDC’s strategic priorities to promote mental health and well-being particularly among high-risk groups for suicide such as the healthcare workers. During the covid-19 pandemic, Africa CDC conducted a series of webinars on “mental health and resilience for healthcare workers” to give hope and build resilience in a thousand healthcare workers. Internally, Africa CDC introduced a “rest and recovery” system for staff responding to covid-19, which greatly improved the well-being of its staff. One of the flagship interventions for Africa CDC strategy on mental health is the integration of mental health and psychosocial social support into emergency preparedness and response which has a component on addressing suicide and self-harm in humanitarian settings. With partners, Africa CDC has conducted three regional workshops in Western, Central and Eastern Africa regions bringing together for the first-time mental health Directors, emergency preparedness and response officers from 38 Member States to develop plans on how to integrate mental health and psychosocial social support into their national action plan for health security.
Moreover, Africa CDC continue to support Member States to review and reform mental health policies and legislation to align with continental and global standards is a priority for Africa CDC.
But today, as we mark Today, on World suicide prevention day, I would like to call upon us, to create a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy a positive mental health and wellbeing by “Creating Hope through Action”.
Let us join efforts in preventing suicide in Africa!
I thank you.
H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya
Director General, Africa CDC
