BasicNeeds Ghana

🎉 A Historic milestone for Mothers and Mental Health in Ghana

Yesterday marked a major milestone as Ghana officially launched its first-ever National Maternal Mental Health Policy, and we at BasicNeeds-Ghana are incredibly proud to have been part of this journey.

Over ten years ago, when perinatal depression and maternal mental health challenges were barely discussed, we took a bold step to act. Through Ghana’s first maternal mental health project, we generated vital evidence showing that:
👉 Maternal mental health conditions are widespread
👉 Community-based support is not only possible, but it is essential.

That evidence helped lay the groundwork for what has been achieved.

Evidence showed that perinatal depression affects up to 50% of women in Ghana, yet less that 10% of them receive care.
For too long:
❌ There was no national policy
❌ No routine screening
❌ No clear referral systems

This is beginning to change.
Now, we must act, going beyond the paperwork and public pronouncement:

✅ Government institutions must prioritize funding and implementation
✅ Health workers need capacity building to identify and support mothers.
✅ Development Partners must invest in sustainable solutions
✅ Traditional and religious larders, and communities must contribute to end stigma

💚 Every mother deserves to be seen, supported, and cared for, fully and holistically.

We remain committed to ensuring this policy becomes real change in the lives of pregnant women, postpartum mothers and their children.

Mental Health Authority Ghana Health Service World Health Organization Ghana

Building strong research teams is key to delivering impactful community programs.

Last week, BasicNeeds Ghana hosted a three-day capacity-building training for Research Assistants in Tamale, focused on research protocols and ethics, digital data entry, and child abuse identification and reporting.

The training was organized in collaboration with New York University (USA) and the University of Ghana, Legon under the Anzansi Family Program: a family-based initiative supporting female youth at risk of Kaya work and their families in Northern Ghana. The project is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Through interactive and hands-on sessions, participants strengthened their understanding of research procedures, ethical responsibilities, digital data collection platforms, and survey instruments. The training also equipped them with the knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and appropriately respond to cases of child abuse during field research.

By strengthening the technical capacity and confidence of Research Assistants, this training helps ensure that research conducted within communities is ethical, accurate, and responsive to the protection of vulnerable children and families.

Today, we stood with the Mental Health Authority and collaborators at the 2026 Show Your Love Campaign Durbar.

Under the theme “Breaking Barriers, Show Your Love,” we called on families, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, peers in schools, community members, and health facilities, as basic social units where stigma is largely felt, to show love and support for people with mental health conditions in their circles.

We reaffirmed our commitment to community-based mental health systems, stigma reduction, and advocacy for equitable access to essential mental health services and medications

Together, let’s create communities where everyone feels valued, supported, and included.

Mental Health Ghana Advocacy
Mental Health Society of Ghana
CPRI-Ghana

BasicNeeds Ghana, in collaboration with its partners, will urgently call on the NHIS Ghana to address the implementation delays in the NHIS coverage of the four major mental health conditions (Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, and Schizophrenia), which was announced to take effect from November 1, 2024. Timely implementation of this policy is critical to improving access to essential mental health services and medications for vulnerable populations across Ghana.

Last week, we conducted a supportive monitoring visit to the Milenovisi Self-Help Group in Dove, Central Tongu District, led by the Programme Assistant, Cecilia Ashaley. The engagement aimed to gather updates on the group’s progress, understand their ongoing challenges, and provide support for their activity planning for the year.

The SHG, comprising persons with mental health conditions and their primary caregivers, many of whom were severely affected by the Akosombo dam spillage and subsequent flooding, has maintained consistent monthly meetings over the past year. From their reports, these meetings focused on providing psychosocial peer support, sharing experiences in self-care, and strengthening home-based management of their conditions.

Group members expressed deep concern about the persistent unavailability of psychotropic and anti-epilepsy medications, as well as their inability to afford these essential medicines on the open market. This has resulted in frequent relapses, reduced ability to engage in productive activities, and limited participation in social life. "Most of the patients are represented in the group meetings by their caregivers because of the increased rate of relapses among service users over the past few months," said the group secretary.

The frequent stock-out of essential psychotropic medicines remains a longstanding national challenge, undermining efforts to advance community-based and integrated mental healthcare in Ghana. This situation is further exacerbated by the inadequate prioritization of mental health within government social protection schemes, including the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.

Mental Health Authority
Ministry of Health, Ghana
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection
Ghana Health Service
World Health Organization Ghana
Mental Health Society of Ghana