The Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana (BNGh), Dr. Peter Badimak Yaro, paid a courtesy call on the Director General (DG) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, at the GHS headquarters last Thursday. The purpose of the visit was to congratulate the newly appointed Director General on his assumption of office as the head of Ghana’s national health service agency and to brief him on the activities of BasicNeeds-Ghana.
The Director General, in the company of two of his staff – Mr Mustapha Adam (Director of Finance) and Mr. Nicholas Nyagblonu (Health Economist in the Office of the Director General), welcomed Dr. Yaro, who was accompanied by Dominic Wunigura, Programme Coordinator of BNGh. Dr. Yaro conveyed the heartfelt congratulations of the Board of Directors, Management and staff of BNGh stating:
“BasicNeeds-Ghana received the news of your appointment as the Director General with great joy because, for a long time in the journey of our collaborations with the Ghana Health Service, you have always demonstrated significant interest and support in the development of mental health and the work of BasicNeeds-Ghana. You have been in the trenches on improving the mental health of Ghana in the many roles you have played as Director under who metal health was and your work at the Ghana Mental Health Authority. We know with you now at the helm of affairs, mental health will gain the attention it has long deserved”
The Director General expressed his appreciation for the visit and reflected on his contributions to mental health advocacy as the former Director of the Institutional Care Division (ICD), of the GHS under which mental health fell – he worked to ensure it remained a key part of the services deliberations. As a member of the first Board of Directors of the Ghana Mental Health Authority, he travelled across the country, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges confronting mental health in Ghana.
Prof. Akoriyea acknowledged the efforts of BNGh in the mental health sector in Ghana and commended the organisation for complementing the work of government. He emphasised that his commitment to strengthening partnerships with NGOs to take advantage of opportunities that arise, especially in building collaborative projects, including mobilising resources for healthcare services.
Another key discussion during the visit was the upcoming 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the ‘NIHR Global Health Research Group on Homelessness and Mental Health in Africa (HOPE)’ referred to as the HOPE Research Programme’. It is the third annual meeting of the three-country research programme, which Ghana will host this year. As a follow-up to the letter of invitation, the DG was invited to grace the occasion and make remarks as part of the formal opening of the three-day meeting.
The 2025 Annual Scientific Conference will bring together consortium Principal and Co-Investigators, and partners from across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana (project sites), as well as from the United Kingdom (King’s College London/ University of Edinburgh), the United States of America and Australia. The conference will provide a platform to review and discuss the progress toward developing initiatives that meet the priority needs of homeless people with severe mental health conditions.
Prof. Akoriyea assured that barring any last-minute exigencies, he would attend in person or designate the focal person for mental health to represent him.
