Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria has launched its first public-facing Mental Health Policy Commitment Tracker, a digital platform designed to independently monitor the implementation of the country’s mental health laws and policies.
The platform, developed by advocacy organisation Nigerian Mental Health, was officially launched virtually on Monday following an earlier public unveiling in May.
According to the organisation, the tracker allows policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations and members of the public to monitor progress on commitments under the National Mental Health Act and related policies.
The platform tracks areas including mental health financing, workforce development, treatment access and state-level reforms.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Mental Health Bill into law in January 2023, replacing the outdated Lunacy Act and introducing major reforms aimed at protecting the rights of persons living with mental health conditions.
However, implementation of several provisions of the law has remained slow.
Nigerian Mental Health said key institutions required under the Act, including the Department of Mental Health Services, have yet to be fully established.
The organisation also noted that the Federal Government missed its December 2025 target to fully decriminalise attempted suicide, while implementation of the National Mental Health Policy and the Suicide Prevention Policy Framework has remained limited.
According to the organisation, these gaps informed the development of the tracker.
Speaking at the launch, the founder of Nigerian Mental Health, Chime Asonye, said policy commitments must be matched with measurable implementation.
“Visibility must be matched by measurable execution,” he said.
The tracker functions as a public dashboard that compiles government data, budget documents, legislative updates, stakeholder submissions and community reports.
Each commitment is assigned an implementation status, including “Not Started,” “In Progress,” “Delayed,” or “Completed.”
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