Africa Stakeholders on Brain Health Urge Nigeria To Lead in Continent’s Dementia Prevention Drive

 

 

Brain health stakeholders on Wednesday June 28,  2026 gathered on Abuja  to deliberate on emerging trends in brain health issues, as they impact Africans.

The event which attracted participants from the health policy makers, representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Assembly, the media and medical practitioners analysed emerging trends on mental health issues and their impact on the African continent, economy and general wellbeing of the people.

I her presentation, a lead researcher, Dr. Chi Udeh-Momoh  whose paper focused on the current statistics on dementia in Africa used the opportunity to  call on Nigeria to take a leadership role in dementia prevention and brain health research in Africa through the development of a National Dementia Action Plan.

 

 

Udeh-Momoh, who is the chief investigator for Africa FINGER, made the call at a stakeholder engagement meeting on dementia prevention and healthy ageing in Abuja on Wednesday. She said Nigeria possessed the expertise, policy environment and human capacity needed to become a continental leader in addressing the growing burden of dementia.

 

According to the researcher, dementia remains one of the most significant threats to global health, with cases projected to rise sharply in the coming decades, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Udeh-Momoh said more than 60 per cent of future dementia cases were expected to occur in such countries, including those in Africa.

 

“Dementia is not an inevitable consequence of ageing. There is a difference between healthy ageing and pathological ageing. We see people in our communities who live into their 90s and beyond with preserved mental function, while others begin experiencing cognitive decline much earlier. The question is how we identify those at risk and support them to reduce that risk before dementia develops,” she said.

 

 

Udeh-Momoh identified several modifiable risk factors associated with dementia, including chronic stress, sleep disturbances, physical inactivity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury and social isolation. She added that African studies had revealed additional context-specific risk factors such as poverty, income inequality, adverse life events and infectious diseases, including HIV, while protective factors such as spirituality, mindfulness, resilience and strong social support systems also play important roles in maintaining brain health.

 

The researcher said most existing dementia evidence was derived from Western populations, creating significant knowledge gaps about the disease in African settings. “Less than 0.1 per cent of global dementia research comes from Africa, despite projections showing the continent will experience one of the largest increases in dementia cases by 2050. If we do not generate evidence from our populations, innovations and treatments developed elsewhere may not adequately address our realities,” Dr Udeh-Momoh said.

 

 

Udeh-Momoh noted that the Africa FINGER initiative, a multinational dementia prevention programme operating in 14 African countries, was adapting evidence-based interventions to local contexts through community engagement and multidisciplinary collaboration. The programme combines nutrition, physical activity, cognitive stimulation, vascular risk monitoring and social engagement with innovative approaches such as financial literacy, spirituality and mindfulness interventions.

 

According to the researcher, poverty emerged as one of the strongest dementia risk factors in African settings, prompting researchers to integrate economic empowerment strategies into prevention efforts. She said researchers are currently conducting studies to determine whether culturally adapted interventions can reverse mild cognitive impairment and reduce dementia risk among vulnerable populations.

 

 

Udeh-Momoh noted that Kenya is preparing to launch a National Dementia Action Plan, while several other African countries are accelerating efforts to establish similar frameworks. She urged Nigeria to build on existing structures, including the National Mental Health Act, to develop a comprehensive dementia strategy.

 

“We are optimally positioned as a country to lead this movement. We already have important policy foundations in place and we have the expertise needed to drive innovation in dementia prevention. If we work together, Nigeria can develop one of the continent’s first dementia action plans and help shape brain health policies across Africa and beyond,” she said.

 

Also speaking at the roundtable, the Policy Advocacy and Strategic Communications Lead of the Africa FINGERS project, Dr Laz Ude Eze highlighted the priority needs including raising dementia awareness, stigma reduction, enhanced diagnostic services, support to carers, among others.

He also called for greater collaboration among government agencies, researchers, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and development partners, towards the development of a national dementia strategic plan, adding that preventing dementia would require collective action and sustained commitment to protecting brain health for future generations.