World Health Organisation, Mental Health Diplomacy and The Protection of Mental Health in Africa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) played an active role in mental health advocacy, diplomacy, protection and promotion in Africa. The WHO as an international organisation has engaged with state and non-state actors in the African continent on policy frameworks, diplomatic strategies and collaborative initiatives to address mental health. The study objectives were to assess the WHO's strategies and methods in engaging with mental health diplomacy in Africa; evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of WHO's policies and initiatives in protecting mental health in Africa and identify the challenges faced by the WHO in promoting mental health diplomacy in Africa continent. A qualitative approach was adopted that relied on content analysis of WHO reports, policy documents and existing literature on mental health diplomacy in Africa. The theoretical framework of Constructivism was blended with global health governance to analyse how WHO’s strategies align with the health systems in Africa and how they interact with state and non-state actors to influence mental health policies and interventions in the African continent. The findings show that the WHO made some progress in advocating for mental health and strengthening mental health systems in Africa but its efforts are affected by systemic issues such as; socioeconomic disparities, cultural barriers, poverty, political instability and weak health infrastructure within the African continent. These factors impede the full implementation of WHO strategies and also, the positive outcomes of WHO’s initiatives in terms of policy development in the area of mental health in Africa. The study recommends that African nations should collaborate on mental health programs, integrate mental health into security policies and enhance cross-country policies in the region. It also urges leveraging health diplomacy for funding, promoting telehealth for remote areas, increasing mental health funding and implementing awareness campaigns and monitoring frameworks to assess programs effectiveness in the rural and urban areas of the continent.