Strengthening Community-Led Mental Health Systems in East Africa: A Path Forward
As the global mental health community continues to build on the momentum from the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health, the East African Mental Health Summit 2025, held from 22 - 23 October, stood out as a crucial follow-up moment translating global promises into regional progress. Hosted by StrongMinds Uganda in partnership with the Ministry of Health (Uganda), the summit gathered government leaders, advocates, people with lived experience, and development partners from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, and Zambia to accelerate scalable, community-level mental health innovations across East Africa.
The summit’s theme, “community action, scalable innovations for mental health integration across sectors,” reinforced the belief that communities are the heart of sustainable mental health systems. It emphasised the importance of locally grounded, evidence-based innovations that can be scaled up to reach those most in need.
This summit could not have come at a more urgent time. Across East Africa, mental health systems remain under-resourced, and care is often centralised within urban hospitals or psychiatric institutions. For many, especially those living in rural or low-income communities, access to support remains out of reach. However, there are encouraging signs of progress. Community-led initiatives such as volunteer-driven talk therapy, peer support groups, school-based mental health programmes, and digital interventions have shown success in countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. However, these efforts are still fragmented and have not yet been scaled up across the region.
Dr. Juliana from TAHMEF (Being Initiative partner) from Tanzania, together with Ministry of Health representatives from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, during the East Africa Mental Health Summit
Key highlights from the summit included the following sessions:
Advancing Deinstitutionalisation Through Community-Led Care
One of the defining themes of the summit was the growing movement to shift from institutional models of care toward community-based approaches. Panelists from across the region showcased promising models integrating mental health into primary care, maternal health, and youth development programmes, making support more accessible where people already are. This aligns with the UN High-Level Meeting Political Declaration, which commits to fully integrating mental health into physical health systems and redirecting resources from institutions toward primary-level and community-based care.
“In Kenya, we’ve trained community health promoters to screen and refer people for care, creating structures from community to national level focused on prevention and promotion. This alignment reflects our shared advocacy for deinstitutionalisation, not just closing institutions, but building the support systems required for people to recover, belong, and thrive within their own communities.” Dr. Mercy Wachera Karanja, Ministry of Health, Kenya.
“Community mental health goes beyond healthcare structures; we need systems in schools, workplaces, and cultural settings that promote mental well-being.” Dr. Hafsa Lukwata Sentongo, Ministry of Health, Uganda
Translating Global Commitments Into Local Action
Building on the progress made at the UN High-Level Meeting, the summit provided a platform to focus on how to turn global mental health commitments into tangible national and regional action. During the session, delegates reviewed key takeaways from the UN High-level Meeting Political Declaration, identifying priority areas for East Africa and exploring opportunities to scale up mental health integration within national health and development plans. The summary of the declaration was shared with participants, followed by an agreement to align regional strategies and investment plans with the UN High-Level Meeting priorities, ensuring they are culturally grounded, affordable, and accessible to all communities.
Multisectoral collaborations
One of the key themes during the summit was promoting regional cross-sectoral collaboration to integrate mental health in systems such as health, education, ICT, refugee services, and economic development, among others. During this session, panelists emphasised that mental health cannot sit solely within health ministries. Schools, workplaces, cultural institutions, youth networks, and community health systems are essential partners in prevention and care.
“We must move beyond seeing mental health as an isolated issue. It is deeply interconnected with other domains of health, such as nutrition and sexual and reproductive health, and NCDs, where poor outcomes can be a driving factor behind mental health challenges. Only through an integrated, multisectoral approach can we create lasting and sustainable change for healthier communities.” Dr. Innocent Yusuf, from the Africa Academy of Public Health, one of the Being initiative partners in Tanzania.
Child and Youth Mental Health: Building Resilience Through Education and Youth Engagement
The session on Child and Youth Mental Health explored how schools and youth spaces can serve as vital entry points for promoting mental well-being, early detection, and prevention. Speakers emphasised that classrooms and community youth programmes are not only places of learning but also critical environments where young people can build resilience and access support. Discussions further highlighted the importance of training teachers in mental health and psychosocial support to help identify early signs of distress and provide basic support or referrals. Representatives from the Ministry of Education Uganda, shared examples of school-based psychosocial programmes and peer support initiatives that they are implementing in schools to normalise conversations about mental health and create safe, supportive environments for young people.
A Regional Step Forward: The Kampala Call to Action
The summit concluded with the launch of the Kampala Call to Action, a regional commitment to strengthen community-led mental health systems across East Africa. Drawing from discussions throughout the summit, it sets out practical steps for governments and partners to turn advocacy into sustained action.
The Call to Action highlights the need to integrate mental health into primary and community health care, shifting resources from institutional models toward locally grounded, community-based services. It also prioritises child and youth mental health, recognising schools and youth spaces as key entry points for prevention, early intervention, and resilience-building through teacher training, school-based programmes, and youth-led advocacy.
Finally, it calls for stronger data systems and regional collaboration to share lessons, track progress, and scale up what works. Together, these commitments represent a united regional effort to accelerate progress toward inclusive and sustainable mental health systems that leave no one behind.
By Vincent Mujune StrongMinds Uganda and Faith Nassozi United for Global Mental Health