Nigeria launches first tracker to monitor mental health policy progress

Nigeria has launched its first Mental Health Policy Commitment Tracker. This digital platform will independently check how well the country is following its mental health laws and policies. There have been worries about the slow progress in making important changes.

The tracker was created by the advocacy group Nigerian Mental Health (NMH). It was officially launched online on Monday, following its first public reveal in May.

NMH shared the news in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

The platform will help policymakers, researchers, civil society groups, and the public monitor progress on commitments made under the National Mental Health Act and other related policies. This includes mental health funding, workforce training, treatment access, and reforms at the state level.

Importance of the tracker

Late President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Mental Health Bill into law in January 2023. This came after two failed attempts to pass it since 2003.

The new law replaced the old Lunacy Act. It marks a big change in how Nigeria handles mental healthcare. It strengthens the rights of people with mental health issues and sets up structures like a Department of Mental Health Services and a Mental Health Fund.

But three years later, many parts of the law are still not being put into action.

According to NMH, some important structures needed under the Act, like the Department of Mental Health, are not fully set up. The federal government also missed its December 2025 goal to fully decriminalise attempted suicide. The rollout of the 2023 National Mental Health Policy and the first Suicide Prevention Policy Framework has been limited.

These gaps in implementation led to the creation of the tracker. It aims to check if mental health commitments are being turned into real actions.

At the launch, NMH founder Chime Asonye said that policy commitments must come with measurable actions.

"Visibility must be matched by measurable execution," he said. He added that the platform is meant to make sure commitments lead to real legal, institutional, and service delivery results.

NMH explained that the tracker is a public dashboard. It collects government data, legislative updates, budget documents, verified stakeholder submissions, and evidence reported by the community.

Each policy commitment has an implementation status like “Not Started, In Progress, Delayed, or Completed.” This helps users see progress at both federal and state levels.

The platform tracks important milestones under the National Mental Health Act. It also checks governance structures, budget allocations, workforce capacity, access to treatment, affordability, and rights-based reforms.

Support for the initiative

The launch brought together officials, policymakers, researchers, civil society groups, development partners, media workers, and people from the creative industry.

Groups backing the initiative include Lagos Mind, Mind Over Matters NG, Stilt NG, Our Beta Life, the Mental Health Transformation Organisation (MHT), and Hevolve Foundation.

Mental health advocate and musician Hadiza Blell-Olo, known as Di’ja, urged public figures to do more than just raise awareness. She wants them to support partnerships that strengthen mental health reforms. She noted that the tracker gives a way to improve policy accountability.

Also speaking was Tunde Ojo, the National Mental Health Coordinator at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. He said that independent accountability systems can help improve implementation and service delivery.

NMH said the platform is open to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and the public. They can share verified updates and feedback to boost transparency and support mental health reforms in Nigeria.