Staff Reporter
The Lesotho Embassy in Ethiopia has urged senior local public health professionals to seize the opportunity to be part of the Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Programme, run by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The 4th Cohort of the fellowship that will begin in June 2024 and end in June 2025, is expected to witness the introduction of mental health track.
In 2018, Partners in Health (PIH) reported that one-fifth of Lesotho’s 2.2 million people suffered from mental illnesses – the highest rate of any country in which the organisationworks.
Lesotho’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union Commission, Ntšiuoa SEKETE says this is one of the best capacity building initiatives on the continent for public mental health professionals.
The programme has potential to boost Lesotho’s efforts towards implementing the National Mental Health Policy and Strategic Plan (2021-2027), she noted.
Sekete indicated that while the Fellows are mostly staff in senior positions within government ministries and national public health institutions, the programme is looking to attract more women.
The African Union Commission launched the Kofi Annan Global Health Leadership Programme on 25 May 2020 in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation.
The Fellows are expected to contribute to and lead the implementation of a new public health order for Africa, and ultimately mentor and develop the next generation of public healthleaders for the continent.
