Suicide is robbing Africa of too many young lives, even though it is among the most preventable public health challenges of our time. The weight of stigma, the silence surrounding mental health and the lack of accessible care continue to deepen the crisis. These realities took centre stage at the Youth Suicide Prevention Forum, hosted by the Aga Khan University’s Brain and Mind Institute (BMI) in collaboration with the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA) on October 1, 2025.
Held under the theme Making Suicide Prevention Everyone’s Business: Hope in Action, the forum brought together policymakers, researchers, youth leaders and individuals with lived experience to break the silence, spotlight solutions and strengthen collective responsibility for saving young lives. Speaking at the forum, Prof. Zul Merali, Founding Director of BMI, emphasized the urgent need to address suicide as a shared societal challenge, stating, “When young people are silenced by stigma or denied access to affordable care, we all fail. Suicide prevention is a social, cultural and moral imperative that touches every sector of society. We must work together to create safe spaces, amplify youth voices and build systems of support that offer hope and dignity.”
Conversations highlighted Kenya’s landmark 2023 decision to decriminalize suicide as a turning point, while calling for bold steps to ensure that policy reforms translate into real change for young people. Dr. Katherine Wanjiku, Psychiatrist at the Ministry of Health, affirmed the government’s commitment through the Suicide Prevention Strategy 2021–2026 saying, “We are strengthening mental health policies, expanding community-based services, and integrating suicide prevention into national strategies so that timely support reaches every young person in need.”
With suicide ranking among the leading causes of death for young people worldwide, and with rising pressures in Sub Saharan Africa driven by unemployment, economic hardship and limited access to mental health services, the forum highlighted the urgency of a united and sustained response. Dr. Judy Omumbo, Head of Programmes at the Science for Africa Foundation, emphasized that suicide prevention is a shared responsibility that cannot rest on health systems alone noting, “Suicide touches families, schools, workplaces, faith communities, governments and neighbourhoods. Every setting where young people live, learn and interact must become a place of care, compassion and support. Preventing suicide must therefore be everyone’s business, because only through collective action can we save lives and build a future where young people are not defined by despair but by hope.”
The forum also underscored the importance of changing public attitudes and creating supportive environments where young people feel seen and heard. Faith Mugo, a Youth Suicide Prevention Advocate, highlighted that suicide is rarely the result of a single decision but the culmination of prolonged, unaddressed struggles. “Suicide is not a sudden act, it is the outcome of pain that builds up over time when young people’s struggles are ignored, dismissed or met with silence. What we urgently need are safe spaces where young people can speak without fear of judgment, and a culture rooted in compassion and genuine care. Only then can we begin to replace despair with hope,” she said.
Through centring youth voices and advancing policies, the Youth Suicide Prevention Forum outlined a future where stigma no longer silences, support is within reach, and every young life is valued. It underscored that suicide prevention requires collective action across health, education, government and community systems, along with the courage to speak openly about mental health.
