By Chioma Obinna
Psychiatrists and mental health experts have called for increased investment in locally generated research, stronger policy implementation and institutional reforms to address Africa’s mental health challenges, warning that the continent risks remaining dependent on foreign research priorities unless it develops evidence that reflects its realities.
They said Africa must move beyond documenting the prevalence of mental health conditions to producing research that informs public policy, improves access to care and delivers practical solutions for communities affected by depression, trauma, substance use disorders and other mental health conditions.
The experts spoke at the ninth International Research Conference of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, with the theme, “Mental Health Research at the Crossroads: Challenges, Policies and Reforms in Africa.”
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, a professor of psychiatry at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said Africa’s contribution to global mental health research remained disproportionately low compared with its population and disease burden.
Sheikh, who is also Director-General of the Special Projects and Mental Health Legal Division, said Africa accounts for about 17 per cent of the world’s population but contributes only 1.8 per cent of global mental health research output and 0.3 per cent of global research funding, according to figures presented at the conference.
He argued that the continent must change how research is funded, conducted and translated into healthcare delivery.
“For a long time, Africa did mental health research that described problems for Western journals. We counted schizophrenia in hospitals, validated questionnaires that were sometimes poorly adapted to our realities and tested drugs that we could not afford,” he said.
“We know the prevalence of mental health conditions, but we do not know enough about the solutions that work for us in Kaduna, Mushin or internally displaced persons’ camps. The old road is exhausted.”
Sheikh said research must address locally identified needs rather than follow priorities established by foreign funding agencies, adding that African researchers should have greater control over research questions, funding and the application of findings.
He warned that without a fundamental shift, Africa could remain a “data colony” for decades, supplying information to external institutions without building sufficient capacity to address its own mental health challenges.
The professor also stressed the urgent need to implement Nigeria’s Mental Health Act, which provides for the administration of mental health services, protection of the rights of persons with mental health conditions, research and funding.
“The Act is not a career development law for psychiatrists. It is a law for Nigeria. It covers the psychiatrist, the social worker, the psychiatric nurse, the occupational therapist, healthcare workers, community health officers, religious leaders, teachers and employers,” he said.
“The Act provides for a department that will coordinate mental health activities in Nigeria, protect the rights of persons with mental health conditions and support research and data collection. But that department has not been implemented. So, where is the action?”
Sheikh maintained that public discussions about depression and other mental health conditions must be matched by concrete government action, including clear implementation plans, designated responsibilities, adequate funding and monitoring mechanisms.
He said research findings would have limited value if they remained in academic journals without influencing government decisions or improving services.
“Good mental health research must answer three questions: Is it true? Does it matter to people? And will it change policy or practice? If the ministry cannot use the findings to improve services, then we must ask what impact that research is having,” he said.
Sheikh called for African-led funding mechanisms, stronger research infrastructure, mental health surveillance systems, digitalised hospital records and the establishment of an African neurobiobank to support research into genetic, biological and environmental factors influencing mental health.
He also advocated greater participation by young people, survivors of mental health conditions and traditional and faith-based practitioners in research, arguing that their experiences and knowledge should inform interventions.
According to him, research should move away from treating communities merely as sources of data and instead involve them as partners in developing solutions.
“Research should not be research on people, but research with people. Those with lived experience should be involved in shaping the questions, and traditional healers should be treated as partners rather than barriers,” he said.
Sheikh further urged governments to make research funding more responsive to local priorities, proposing that African countries allocate a greater share of health research budgets to mental health and implementation studies.
He also called for research institutions and universities to place greater emphasis on policy impact rather than relying largely on publication records and journal impact factors when assessing researchers.
The Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, said the conference was intended to bring research findings to the attention of policymakers and demonstrate their relevance to mental health service delivery.
Owoeye said researchers often struggled to publish in high-impact international journals, while findings that could guide government decisions remained inaccessible to those responsible for planning and implementing health programmes.
“Most of the research we have been doing is published in journals abroad, and policymakers may not have access to it. If they cannot see the findings, how can they use them to plan for us or make decisions that will improve mental health services?” he asked.
He said stigma, inadequate funding and a shortage of specialists continued to undermine mental health research and service delivery across Africa.
“The burden is huge, but the experts in the field are few. Research and clinical trials coming from Africa account for only a small proportion of global output. This should not be the case,” Owoeye said.
He added that limited domestic funding had forced many Nigerian researchers to depend on grants from developed countries, where funding priorities might not always align with the country’s most pressing needs.
Owoeye also called attention to the treatment gap, saying many people living with mental health conditions remained unable to access appropriate care and instead sought help from traditional homes, churches and other sources.
He urged policymakers to pay greater attention to mental health research, noting that mental health challenges could also affect people living with chronic physical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.
The conference chairperson, Professor Mashudat Bello-Mojeed, said the meeting was designed to strengthen locally generated evidence and ensure that research findings translated into improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
She said the hospital had expanded its research activities over the years and wanted to encourage researchers to produce work that could influence public understanding, policy and clinical practice.
“The essence is to ensure that we use contextualised research done by Africans and Nigerians, documented and published, to change the narrative in the country. We also want to implement the findings from this research,” Bello-Mojeed said.
She stressed that research should not end with publication but should produce practical benefits for patients, families and communities.
“We want people to appreciate and accept persons with mental health conditions. Researchers should not just conduct studies and publish their findings; they should do research that is meaningful to our people and makes a difference in their lives,” she said.
Also speaking, Dr Tolu Ajomale, Director-General of the Special Projects and Mental Health Legal Division, highlighted the importance of translating research into policies and programmes that government institutions could implement.
Ajomale said research generated knowledge that could guide decision-making, improve organisational performance and support interventions capable of producing measurable benefits.
“The knowledge we gain from research makes a huge impact. We must be able to translate that knowledge into policies, programmes and interventions that government can utilise to make a meaningful difference in our environment,” he said.
He added that effective systems for coordinating research, reviewing evidence and translating findings into policy were essential to ensuring that public institutions made informed decisions.
The experts agreed that Africa’s mental health research agenda must be driven by local needs, supported by sustainable funding and linked directly to policy implementation.
They maintained that stronger collaboration among researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals and communities would be crucial to building mental health systems capable of responding to the continent’s growing challenges.
They also called for reforms that would enable African researchers to generate and retain more knowledge locally, improve access to evidence-based interventions and ensure that research translates into better mental health outcomes.
