Abidjan: Graduates sang and clapped as they celebrated reaching a personal milestone. They were embarking on a new journey as the next generation of mental health leaders in West Africa. After nine months of rigorous classroom and field training, fellows from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, and Niger became the pioneers of the Subregional Intermediate Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) in Mental Health. They graduated in Côte d’Ivoire on 20 August.

According to African Press Organization, Dr. Harouna Morou, the representative of the FETP graduates, expressed his deepest gratitude to the health authorities of Côte d’Ivoire for their vision and commitment to mental health, to the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), and to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for making the training possible. Graduates are now equipped to strengthen mental health surveillance, promote and facilitate the decentralization of mental health services to primary health care and community-based facilities, and improve access to mental health care.

At the end of the training, participants were motivated to improve the mental health of their populations and support service users and their families, to prioritize mental health within the broader health and development agenda, and to demonstrate leadership skills necessary for operating at mid- and advanced levels of the mental health system. Dr. Adelard Kakunze, Senior Technical Officer in the Division of Disease Control and Prevention at Africa CDC, emphasized the significance of the moment, highlighting the integration of mental health as an essential component of public health.

The burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions has grown significantly, and by 2030, these issues are projected to cause more premature deaths in Africa than in any other region. Dr. Herbert Kazoora of AFENET stressed the importance of epidemiological evidence in understanding the burden of mental health problems. Professor Mamadou Samba, Director-General of Health at the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Côte d’Ivoire, encouraged the graduates to apply their new skills in their countries, emphasizing that there is no health without mental health.