By Ridwan Oyenuga
Mental health challenges among young people are becoming a growing public health concern across Africa, as economic strain, unemployment, displacement, and social pressures continue to affect emotional wellbeing on a large scale.
Global health estimates indicate that one in four people worldwide will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. With Africa’s youth population expanding rapidly, mental health advocates warn that the number of young people struggling silently with anxiety, depression, trauma, and stress-related conditions is rising, often without access to adequate care or safe spaces for support.
Recent public health discussions have also highlighted the scale of suicide globally, with thousands of lives lost each month. Experts say the figures underscore the urgency of prevention, early awareness, and stigma reduction, particularly in regions where mental health services remain underfunded and under-resourced.
Across the continent, stigma remains one of the strongest barriers to care. In many communities, mental health struggles are misunderstood or hidden, discouraging young people from speaking openly or seeking professional help.
In response to these challenges, youth-led organisations are increasingly turning to digital platforms to widen conversations and promote mental wellbeing. One such efforts is the Africa Wellness Voices Initiative (AWVI), a continent-wide digital advocacy movement coordinated by Nigerian healthtech organisation SereniMind.
AWVI uses online platforms to spotlight personal reflections, expert insights, and community perspectives from different African countries, encouraging young people to share how they cope with stress, build resilience, and support one another. Organisers say the approach is designed to make mental health conversations more relatable and culturally grounded.
I do believe that digital engagement allows youth voices to take the lead in shaping the conversation.
This is because many young Africans are already using digital spaces to express themselves. Creating structured, supportive conversations around mental wellbeing in those same spaces helps reduce stigma and encourages people to seek support when they need it.
While digital advocacy cannot replace formal healthcare systems, it plays an important role in early awareness and social acceptance of mental health discussions.
Health observers say initiatives like AWVI reflect a broader shift toward community-driven, technology-enabled health awareness in Africa. They also align with wider development priorities, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which emphasises human capital development, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing.
As African countries navigate economic uncertainty, climate-related disruptions, and rapid social change, public health experts argue that mental wellbeing must be treated as a core part of national and community resilience.
While structural investment in mental health services remains essential, advocates say open conversations, especially those led by young people, are a critical step toward breaking silence and building support networks across the continent.
Ridwan Oyenuga is the founder of SereniMind, a Nigerian healthtech organisation which coordinates the Africa Wellness Voices Initiative (AWVI), a continent-wide digital advocacy movement.
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