In a strategic move to bridge the gap between physical disability and mental well-being, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with eth Cross River State Government with support from ANESVAD Foundation has launched the second phase of the Mental Healthcare for Persons Affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases (mhCAP-NTDs) project in Cross River State.
Launched recently in Calabar, the two-year project titled, “Strengthening Access to People-Centred Mental Healthcare for Persons Affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases”, specifically targets the high-burden Ogoja region to combat the psychological toll of chronic skin diseases and social exclusion with a renewed focus on improving care delivery and tackling stigma in endemic communities.
Speaking Shortly before the launch, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by the National Coordinator of the National Mental Health Programme, Dr Ojo Tunde Massey Ferguson, said the initiative aims to expand access to mental health services for persons affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), particularly in Ogoja Local Government Area which is most endemic in the State.
In his words, “We are here in Cross River to launch a second phase of a programme which we call mhCAP-NTDs, which is about increasing access to people-centred mental health care for people affected by NTD,” he stated on 18 March 2026, during the project launch at Monty Suite, Calabar.
The Minister highlighted that the first phase, which lasted two years, addressed mental health challenges linked to NTDs, including stigma, poverty and untreated psychological conditions. According to him, interventions included livelihood support, anti-stigma campaigns, and training of healthcare workers to detect and manage mental health cases at primary healthcare and community levels. He explained that, “In the first phase there were different packages of care to address stigma, provide livelihood for them and train health care workers to detect mental health conditions and treat some at primary health care level.”
Dr Ferguson explained that the second phase would build on lessons from the pilot phase by concentrating efforts in Ogoja, identified as a high-burden area for skin-related NTDs. He added that the programme seeks to generate further evidence on sustainability and guide policy decisions for nationwide scale-up. “We have seen that this thing works and that is why we are saying it needs to be scaled up across all platforms of NTDs response,” he added.
In his welcome address, Commissioner for Health, Cross River State, Dr Henry Ayuk who was represented by the Director of Public Health, Mr Patrick Odu, lauded the Federal Government and its partners for the initiative, describing the programme as impactful and forward-looking.
Odu posited that, “this programme has been impactful right from the commencement till now. It is going to mitigate the impact of mental health challenges among people affected by neglected tropical diseases, especially onchocerciasis in Cross River State.”
He noted that the first phase recorded improved access to treatment and a reduction in disease burden, expressing optimism that the second phase would further strengthen research and response mechanisms.
On her part, Ms Cristina Juan Jimenez, representative of ANESVAD Foundation , funders of the initiative said the organisation supported the continuation of the project due to its proven impact and Nigeria’s high burden of NTDs.
According to her, “we believe that we can continue doing research here in Nigeria and we would like this research project to impact national programmes and policies,” she said, noting that Ogoja was selected due to high endemicity of diseases such as buruli ulcer, leprosy and lymphatic filariasis.
Also speaking, Country Director, CBM Global Disability Inclusion, Nigeria, Mr Abdulaziz Musa, highlighted the strong link between NTDs, disability and poverty, stressing the importance of a holistic, people-centred model. He explained that, “the goal is to pilot a model that puts the person at the centre of treatment, not just giving drugs but addressing socio-economic factors, stigma and livelihoods.”
He warned that stigma often prevents affected persons from seeking care and may lead to severe psychological consequences, including depression and suicide.
Amaka Onyima-Esmai, National Coordinator for Resilience for Impact on Community Health Care and speaking on behalf of persons affected by NTDs, stressed the importance of inclusion and co-creation in the project. “There is nothing for us without us. This project was done with us, not for us,” she said, noting that beneficiaries actively participated in designing interventions during the first phase.
She identified stigma as a major driver of mental health challenges among affected persons and called for stronger interventions in the second phase.
“Stigma is the real challenge… it leads to depression, anxiety and isolation. We want this phase to deal very well with stigma and livelihood issues,” she added.
The mhCAP-NTDs Phase 2 project is being implemented through a partnership involving the Federal Ministry of Health, Cross River State Government, with funding from ANESVAD Foundation, supported by CBM Global Disability Inclusion, RedAid Nigeria, HANDS, University of Jos, The Leprosy Mission Nigeria, Impact Groups, etc, with a focus on integrating mental health services into existing NTD programmes.
Nakanda Iyadim
