Press Releases
Jun. 2, 2026 | by MHDP Editor | Press Releases
Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), addresses the media during the Mental Health Data Prize – Africa (MHDP-A) Initiative Convening at Bamburi Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, on June 2, 2026
Mombasa, Kenya | June 2, 2026: The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in partnership with Wellcome, has showcased ten African-led prize innovations designed to strengthen mental health prevention, care, and recovery across diverse settings. The solutions included digital and community-based screening tools for ear..
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May. 30, 2026 | by MHDP Editor | Events
The Mental Health Data Prize – Africa (MHDP-A) Final Convening 2026 will bring together researchers, innovators, policymakers, clinicians, funders, and people with lived experience to reflect on the initiative's impact and achievements. Under the theme, “Reflecting on Impact: Transforming Mental Health Data Insights in Africa,” the convening will showcase how data-driven innovations are advancing mental health research, policy, and practice across the continent.
Taking place from June 2–4, 2026 in Mombasa, Kenya, the event will provide a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and..
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Apr. 13, 2026 | by MHDP Editor | Blogs
By Benta Wambui - Counseling Psychologist, and Onyango Otieno - Mental Health Advocate, with contributions from Christine Ger Ochola - Communications Officer (APHRC) and Ann Waithaka - Senior Communications Officer (APHRC)
Millions of people across Africa experience anxiety, depression, and psychosis, yet much of the data and research addressing these challenges has historically excluded the perspectives of those with lived experience. In 2024, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in partnership with Wellcome, launched the Mental Health Data Prize Africa (MHDPA), a..
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Jan. 13, 2026 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
By Barbara Kemigisha & Etheldreda Nakimli Mpungu
In Hoima, Barbara, one of our team members, noticed something that did not sit right with her. Health centers were organizing support groups for people living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). They offered transport allowances and refreshments, yet the rooms stayed half-empty. Almost no one came or spoke. The sessions felt forced, like ticking a box rather than touching lives.
Barbara, who herself lives with HIV, decided to try something different. Through her foundation, she invited all young people, not just those living with HIV,..
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Sep. 13, 2025 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
By Benta Wambui - Counseling Psychologist, and Onyango Otieno - Mental Health Advocate
Across Africa, a quiet transformation is unfolding in how mental health research is being done. The Mental Health Data Prize Africa (MHDPA), an initiative led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, is redefining what it means to do research with people rather than about them
At the heart of this transformation is a bold commitment: to meaningfully include people with lived experience (PLEs) of mental health challenges in every stage of the res..
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Aug. 13, 2025 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
By Christine Ger with contributions from Ann Waithaka and Sylvia Muyingo
Across Africa, a quiet revolution in mental health is underway - one powered by data, innovation, and a new generation of African researchers and changemakers.
Over the past year, more than 2,000 African professionals, from scholars to data scientists, policymakers, and lived experience experts, joined forces in an initiative to reshape how anxiety, depression, and psychosis are understood and addressed on the continent. Spearheaded by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in partnership with Wellcom..
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Dec. 9, 2024 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
Despite increasing awareness, mental health remains stigmatized, leading to discrimination, misunderstanding, and inadequate support. One of the greatest challenges in recent years has been gaining widespread recognition of mental health as a critical health issue. This global health crisis affects people of all ages, backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses but often goes undiagnosed and untreated in many parts of the world. This has left many people suffering in silence, battling invisible wounds that ha..
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Oct. 14, 2024 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
Since the launch of the Mental Health Data Prize Africa (MHDPA) in December 2023, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) has achieved great strides toward its mission of better understanding Africa's mental health challenges and developing scalable solutions. The first phase of the initiative attracted a wide range of participants, including innovators, scholars, policymakers, and people with lived experiences. Over 1,300 participants from across Africa took part in a five-month virtual capacity-building program, gaining valuable skills in areas such as data science, evidenc..
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Jul. 1, 2024 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
NAIROBI, July 01, 2024—The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in partnership with Wellcome, has today begun receiving applications for the Mental Health Data Prize—Africa 2024. This prize seeks to bridge critical gaps in the understanding of anxiety, depression, and psychosis across Africa. The first-of-its-kind prize is open to innovators, researchers, and startups competing for up to ten awards, each valued at £200,000 that comes with a year of funding. It will see multidisciplinary teams led by Africans working together to generate scalable innovations and data-driven in..
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Dec. 22, 2023 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Blogs
By Charity Muturi and Amisa Rashid
Access to mental health services remains a significant challenge for over 116 million people across Africa. This is due to, among other challenges, cultural and spiritual beliefs, inadequate human resources and infrastructure, financing constraints, legal barriers as well as societal misconceptions.
Nevertheless, there is optimism, stemming from the proactive measures taken by various African governments and other administrative bodies. This has seen the implementation of national mental health policies and the establishment of mental health clinics, signif..
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Dec. 22, 2023 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Press Releases
NAIROBI, December 22, 2023 – The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in partnership with Wellcome, is set to unveil a new initiative in 2024 that aims to address existing gaps in our understanding of anxiety, depression and psychosis and improve evidence-based decisions making practice in Africa.
The Mental Health Data Prize – Africa is embarking on a transformative journey, harnessing existing data and data-driven insights to ignite innovation and reshape the mental health landscape through research that solves challenges while enhancing the continent’s data capabilities...
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Dec. 22, 2023 | by MHDP Editor | Media Center | Press Releases
About APHRC
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. APHRC conducts policy-relevant research on population, health, education, urbanization, and related development issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Our vision is to transform African lives through research and we highly engage in evidence generation, strengthening research and related capacity in the African R&D ecosystem, and informing policy to action on health and development. Informed by global and continental devel..
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