By Kuda Pembere
Zimbabwe is hosting the Africa CDC–University of Zimbabwe Mental Health Leadership Programme for the second consecutive year, as efforts intensify to address the growing burden of mental health disorders across the continent.
Convened for the Southern African region, the two-week training course began on Monday and will run until 13 March.
This year’s cohort comprises 30 participants drawn from psychiatry, communications, epidemiology and individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions. The participants were selected from SADC countries as well as Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.
Reflecting growing interest in mental health issues across Africa, the programme received more than 8 000 applications.
Speaking to journalists after officiating at the training, Deputy Director of the Mental Health Department in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Patience Mavunganidze, said the initiative aims to empower African mental health professionals and strengthen service delivery.
“We have different mental health professionals from across Africa and this programme is being conducted under the University of Zimbabwe in partnership with Africa CDC. This training is important because it is going to empower African professionals in leadership.
“It is a course that will improve our cadres in leadership and enhance mental health service delivery,” she said.
On the state of mental health in Zimbabwe, Dr Mavunganidze said the country faces challenges similar to those seen globally and across Africa.
“What we are seeing in Zimbabwe is not different from what we are seeing in other countries. There are different triggers such as genetic predisposition, where one is born with traits that may increase the risk of depression, anxiety or schizophrenia. It could also be lifestyle factors and behaviours that put someone at risk of developing a mental health condition,” she said.
University of Zimbabwe Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr Fiona Makoni, said the institution was honoured to host the programme for the second year running.
“At the UZ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, we are proud to host this prestigious course.
“We are deeply privileged by the presence of our guest of honour from the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Your leadership affirms Zimbabwe’s commitment to advancing mental health as both a national and continental priority.
“To our colleagues from Africa CDC, we thank you for your partnership and for entrusting our Department of Mental Health with hosting the Southern Africa edition of this flagship programme for the second consecutive year.
“I had the privilege to attend the inaugural edition last year, where I engaged with exceptionally vibrant and committed cohorts. Seeing the second edition come to fruition affirms that we must have done something right to be entrusted again,” she said.
Africa CDC Principal Technical Officer in the Division of Non-Communicable Diseases, Injuries and Mental Health, Dr Michael Udedi, said the Mental Health Leadership Programme was launched in 2024.
“For Zimbabwe, this is their second cohort. Last year they also hosted a similar course.
“The programme has four pillars. We have the Kofi Annan Leadership Programme with a mental health track, the Field Epidemiology Training Programme with a mental health track, civil society engagement and networking, and this short-course leadership programme.
“The short-course leadership programme is being run in five universities across the five regions of Africa. For the southern region, we have the University of Zimbabwe.
“The programme was necessitated by the growing mental health burden in Africa and the need to capacitate advocates and professionals to promote and advocate for mental health across the continent,” he said.
Dr Udedi noted that depression remains one of the most prevalent mental health conditions in Africa, affecting people across different age groups.
Dr Chido Rwafa, Mental Health Focal Person for the WHO Regional Office for Africa, said the organisation supports 47 member states on mental health, neurological conditions and alcohol and substance use issues.
“These leaders who are being trained will play a key role in advocating for mental health system strengthening. We need leaders to push for policy reform and ensure that policies are rights-based and aligned with the current challenges in Africa.
“Many African mental health policies, legislation and strategies are outdated, which makes them less responsive to present-day realities. We hope these leaders will be part of the advocacy and reform processes,” she said.
Dr Rwafa added that Africa is off track in meeting targets under a regional mental health framework endorsed in 2022.
“We are hoping that leaders will rally behind the regional strategies and frameworks that member states endorsed in 2022. We have a regional framework for mental health running until 2030, but we are not on track to meet its targets,” she said.
She also stated that Afrrica has the highest burden of suicide in the world.
“Africa has the highest suicide rate amongst all the other regions at 11.5 per 100 000 population people dying, really a preventable death. And amongst them, the men, it’s 18 per 100,000 which is again the highest rate of suicide amongst men globally. So we’ve got some big challenges but we need the data, we need to improve our services, we need to reform our systems,” Dr Rwafa said.
