Suicide is a major yet neglected global health issue. According to the WHO, about 720,000 people die by suicide each year, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Africa has the highest suicide rate (11.2 per 100,000), but stigma, underreporting, and criminalisation mean many cases go unrecorded.
Rationale
The summit seeks to reframe suicide as a preventable public health issue, not a criminal act. It promotes legislative reform, stronger mental health systems, and cross-sector collaboration, with a focus on vulnerable groups, including youth, women, refugees, displaced communities, people with disabilities, and those affected by poverty, conflict, substance use, and other social determinants of mental health.
Approach
Hosted in Kampala, Uganda, the summit will bring together policymakers, mental health professionals, researchers, civil society, community leaders, development partners, and people with lived experience from across Africa and beyond. Over three days, participants will engage in keynotes, panels, policy dialogues, and scientific sessions covering suicide prevention, mental health systems, legal reforms, community-based approaches, youth mental health, substance use, digital influences, and postvention support.
Expected Outcomes
- Increased political commitment to suicide prevention across Africa.
- Greater recognition of suicide as a preventable public health and human rights issue.
- Stronger partnerships among governments, academia, civil society, development partners, and the private sector.
- Improved policy dialogue on decriminalisation and suicide prevention.
- Adoption of the African Suicide Prevention Policy Brief 2026 and the African Call to Action on Suicide Prevention.
- Increased investment in evidence-based suicide prevention, mental health promotion, and community resilience.
Together, the African Summit on Suicide Prevention 2026 aims to transform silence into dialogue, stigma into support, and commitment into action, ensuring that every life is valued and every voice is heard.
