In Kaduna State, something quietly powerful is happening—a shift that might one day be remembered as a turning point in how mental health care is delivered in Nigeria.
It began with a simple yet bold idea: that mental health support shouldn’t be a privilege found only in big cities or specialised hospitals. It should live in the heart of communities—in the clinics people visit for everyday care, in the hands of trusted local health workers, and within conversations that begin without shame.
The recent passage of the Kaduna State Mental Health Department Establishment Bill is more than just another law on paper. It signals a deeper commitment—to bring care, dignity, and understanding to the people who need it most. Behind the policy is a wide coalition of partners: the State Ministry of Health, the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, and KADBUSA. Together, they’re weaving mental health services into the very fabric of the community.
In Nigeria, the silence around mental health is loud. More than 85% of people living with serious mental health conditions receive no formal treatment. Stigma, underfunding, and a shortage of services leave many struggling alone.
Kaduna is confronting this silence head-on.
With a network of 255 Primary Health Centres and 30 General Hospitals, the state is working to close the treatment gap. Instead of building new facilities, it’s reimagining the ones that already exist—equipping them to respond not just to physical ailments but to emotional and psychological pain too.
Health workers across Kaduna are being trained using the WHO’s mhGAP approach—a method proven to help non-specialists recognise and manage common mental health conditions. Over 1,000 PHC workers and nearly 250 hospital staff will be trained. But it doesn’t stop at training. These facilities are also being supported with essential psychiatric medications and digital tools to ensure continuity of care, track progress, and make referrals smoother.
A key part of this digital shift includes Electronic Health Records, supervision by FNPH experts, and systems that allow rural health workers to consult specialists in real time.
One of the most sensitive—and significant—aspects of the project is its focus on perinatal mental health. In a country where up to 30% of women experience depression during or after pregnancy, Kaduna’s inclusion of early maternal mental health support is a lifeline. Home visits, support groups, and early intervention for mothers are not just about treating depression; they’re about safeguarding the emotional foundation of entire families.
Kaduna’s programme is not just about systems—it’s about people. It’s about giving local nurses and community health officers the confidence to ask the right questions. It’s about helping someone find their way back from a place of darkness. It’s about letting mothers know that it’s okay to ask for help, and that support is near.
By embedding WHO’s global mental health standards and aligning with Nigeria’s 2021 National Mental Health Act, Kaduna is building something sustainable—something replicable.
This isn’t a pilot project. It’s a full-scale shift in how one state sees health—not as the absence of illness, but as the presence of care, support, and community. And at the centre of it is leadership that listens. Governor Uba Sani’s administration isn’t just rolling out a programme—it’s nurturing a movement.
The road ahead will need patience, funding, and consistent engagement. Digital literacy must grow. Communities will need ongoing education. But Kaduna has laid a strong foundation—one that other states might one day look to as a blueprint for what’s possible when mental health is treated not as an afterthought, but as a priority.
Because when care begins at the grassroots, healing begins at home.
