Theme:
Invisible Wounds: Understanding Mental Health, Trauma, GBV, and Impact on Society.
Conference Objective
The conference is conceived as a national platform to mobilize stakeholders, amplify lived experiences, explore culturally relevant and evidence-based interventions and push for transformative policies and sustainable investments in mental health in Nigeria.
The planned conference complements ongoing government and partner initiatives, including efforts to integrate mental health into primary healthcare delivery.
Conference Goals
Strengthen Policy Awareness and Implementation
Promote a clear understanding of Nigeria’s National Mental Health Policy and mobilize cross-sector stakeholders to address gaps in implementation, financing, and access to care.
Address the Root Causes and Impact of Trauma
Explore the psychological effects of systemic violence—including insurgency, kidnapping, economic instability, and substance use—while highlighting their long-term impact on individuals, families, and society.
Advance GBV Prevention and Survivor Support
Examine the sociocultural drivers of gender-based violence and develop actionable strategies for prevention, early intervention, and trauma-informed care that supports survivors across generations.
Expand Access to Mental Health Services
Identify and promote scalable, culturally competent approaches to mental health care—including clinical, community-based, and indigenous healing pathways—while addressing stigma and structural barriers.
Prioritize Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
Focus on the unique mental health needs of youth, women (including maternal mental health), displaced persons, survivors of conflict, and those affected by substance use and suicide risk.
Leverage Community and Institutional Partnerships
Strengthen the role of schools, workplaces, faith institutions, the legal system, and the military as critical entry points and partners in mental health awareness, prevention, and treatment.
Build Capacity Through Targeted Engagement
Equip key groups—healthcare providers, social workers, faith leaders, youth, men and boys, and women and girls—with practical tools and knowledge through specialized workshops and dialogue sessions.
Promote Multisector Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
Foster partnerships among government agencies, NGOs, private sector actors, and community leaders to create a unified, sustainable response to mental health and GBV challenges.
Reduce Stigma and Shift Cultural Narratives
Encourage open conversations that normalize mental health care, challenge harmful norms around GBV, and promote empathy, healing, and collective responsibility.
Inspire Action Through Arts and Culture
Utilize storytelling, stage performances, and music to humanize mental health and GBV experiences, deepen public engagement, and reinforce the urgency of collective action.
Schedule
Day One
Morning
- Opening Ceremony
- Keynote Address: Elucidating Nigeria’s National Mental Health Policy:
- Tackling Systemic Trauma: the effects of robbery, banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, economic uncertainty and the cost of living crisis.
- GBV: Healing the wounds of sexual and Gender Based Violence.
- Addressing the Scourge of Substance Use in Nigeria
Afternoon
- Youth Mental Health: The impact of social media and other social trends on our next generation.
- Deaths of Despair: The Specter of Suicide in Nigeria.
- Panel Discussion: Implementing the National Mental Health Policy: The role of different sectors in identifying and overcoming barriers (stigma, financing treatment, supporting families and going the distance).
Day Two
Morning
- Two for the price of one: Maternal Mental Health.
- Schools and educational institutions as access points to Mental Health services.
- Making Substance abuse treatment accessible (including medication assisted treatment)
- Faith Institutions as credible agents and partners in Mental Health treatment.
Afternoon
- Healing post-conflict trauma: the mental health of combatants, displaced persons and survivors of conflict.
- Workplace Mental Health: Why it pays to support a mentally healthy workforce.
- The legal system and its role in Mental Health treatment.
Panel Discussion II: Mental Health Treatment in Nigeria: What Works? Scalable clinical and Indigenous pathways to care.
Day Three
Morning
Workshop on Gender-Based Violence
- Unearthing the sociocultural roots of GBV.
- The immediate and long-term effects of GBV: A curse that affects the 3rd and 4th generation
- Mental health and GBV: how are they connected?
Panel Discussion: What can be done about GBV?
- Workshop for Health Workers & Social Workers.
- Workshop for Faith Leaders.
- Workshop for the Military
- Workshop for Women and Girls
- Workshop for Men, Youth and Teenage boys.
Afternoon
Mental Health themed Gala – Stage plays by Nollywood practitioners, music performances.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Exhibitors Table
Our Sponsors / Partners
Trusted Hands Behind us
