By Makutu Manneh
The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), on Friday commemorated World Mental Health Day in Banjul, gathering health professionals, advocates, and community stakeholders to promote mental well-being and collective action on mental health issues.
Observed globally each year on October 10, World Mental Health Day aims to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and strengthen public and institutional commitment to improving access to mental healthcare and psychosocial support.
Delivering remarks at the ceremony, Mam Jarra Marega, National Mental Health Programme Manager at the Ministry of Health, emphasized that mental health is an integral part of overall public health and should not be treated as a secondary concern. She noted that many Gambian communities continue to face mental health challenges that demand sustained investment and coordinated action.
Marega highlighted the ministry’s ongoing efforts to integrate mental health into primary healthcare services across the country. Over the past three years, she said, healthcare workers have been trained to identify and manage mental health conditions more effectively at the community level.
“So I call on all of us as a country to commit to having a mental health and psychosocial component in our societies,” she urged.
The event also featured personal testimonies, including that of Aji Jacub Njie, a mental health survivor, who shared her powerful story of resilience. Njie recounted becoming a teenage mother at sixteen—a life-altering experience that forced her to confront emotional and psychological challenges at a young age.
With courage and honesty, she described the stigma, fear, and isolation she faced, admitting that she did not initially recognize her experiences as mental health struggles because she continued to attend school and carry out her daily responsibilities.
“So today I am a living proof I have smiled in class while crying inside. I have learned that asking for help is not a weakness,” she said.
Representing the WHO, a spokesperson underscored that this year’s theme is a timely call to prioritize mental health before, during, and after crises. He revealed that WHO aims to ensure that by 2030, at least 80 percent of countries in the African region establish sustainable mental health support systems. Currently, only ten countries have dedicated budgets for mental health, with average regional spending still below $0.50 per capita.
“to truly protect our people governments must commit greater resources and accelerate integrating mental health into emergency frameworks. To accelerate progress.”
In his remarks, Tuker OBA, Turkish Ambassador to The Gambia, reaffirmed his country’s support for mental health initiatives, stressing that mental well-being is fundamental to a healthy and productive society.
He called for greater efforts to challenge harmful perceptions and stigma surrounding mental illness, noting that ignoring mental health concerns only deepens their social and economic impacts.
“As developing partners of the Gambia and sister countries we have to support in every field the smiling coast of Africa and of course mental health is in the corner stone of the health of the society,” Ambassador OBA said.
The commemoration concluded with renewed calls for collective responsibility and compassion. As Ms. Njie’s testimony illustrated, mental health challenges often remain hidden, particularly among young people and mothers, underscoring the importance of awareness, empathy, and accessible care for all.