Though often underreported, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate has disclosed that Neurological disorders were the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for 9 million deaths per year.
Pate stated this on Tuesday, at the Africa Neurological Health Summit 2025, jointly hosted by the Brain and Spine Foundation Africa and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOHSW) in Abuja.
Represented by the National Coordinator, Mental Health Awareness Program in the Ministry, Dr. Tunde Ojo noted that the theme of the summit, “Policy and Advocacy in Neurological Healthcare in Africa: Bridging the Gap Towards Achieving World Health Organization Intersectoral Global Action Plan (WHO-IGAP) on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders 2022–2031”, was timely and deeply relevant.
Pate said the summit was a call for Nigeria and Africa to reflect on the persistent inequities, disparities in accessing neurological care across the continent and the need to address this by driving structured and multisectoral responses.
He therefore emphasized that the summit marked a paradigm shift from conversation to coordinated execution.
“The WHO-IGAP on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders 2022–2031, adopted in November 2020 by the Seventy-third World Health Assembly resolution, aims to improve access to care and treatment for people living with neurological disorders, while preventing new cases and promoting brain health and development across the life course”, he said.
The Minister explained that Africa faces a growing mix burden of diseases with the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Injuries, Mental and Neurological conditions now growing at an alarming rate relative to communicable diseases.
“In Nigeria, major neurological conditions include cerebrovascular diseases (stroke); migraine; epilepsy; dementia; Parkinson’s disease; traumatic brain & spinal cord injuries; brain & spinal cord tumours; neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and congenital neurological disorders; as well as neuromuscular disorders such as peripheral neuropathy, muscular dystrophies and myasthenia gravis.
“These conditions have significant disability, morbidity and mortality.
Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for 9 million deaths per year”, he said.
According to the Minister, “the five largest contributors of neurological DALYs in 2016 were stroke (42.2%), migraine (16.3%), dementia (10.4%), meningitis (7.9%) and epilepsy (4.9%). Globally in 2016, 52.9 million children younger than 5 years had developmental disabilities and 95% of these children lived in low- and middle-income countries”.
He however, disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had developed and was implementing national policy and multisectoral action plan for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases.
“Recognizing that health financing is critical for sustainability, we have integrated mental and neurological health into the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), a historic milestone that brings essential services closer to the people at the primary care level.
“Additionally, the Sector Wide Approach (SWAP) is central to our reform agenda. This harmonized financing and planning mechanism facilitates better alignment of domestic resources, donor funding, and technical support around national priorities. Through SWAP, we are ensuring that investments in neurological and mental health are integrated within broader health system strengthening efforts ensuring coherence, efficiency, and accountability in delivery”, he said.
On her part, the Co-convener, African Neurological Health Summit and Executive Director, Brain and Spine Foundation, Engr. Chika Okwuolisa stated that the Summit was a long-overdue gathering of hearts, minds and voices.
Okwuolisa informed that across the African continent, millions suffer in silence from neurological disorders – from brain tumors to strokes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries and tumors, neuroinfections, and a spectrum of neuro-developmental and neuro multiple sclerosis, degenerative conditions.
“These are not rare afflictions. They are everyday realities for countless families, rich or poor. Across, Nigeria today, many families wake up daily to these realities that steal not just health, but hope. Many of these conditions strike with little warning but leave lifelong consequences, they do not just affect individuals; they shatter dreams, and disrupt families.
“Sadly, a large number of affected individuals – particularly in rural and under served communities are often left without access to timely diagnosis, emergency response, adequate treatment rehabilitation.
“The high cost of care, low awareness, and little or non existent insurance coverage push many families into despair”, she lamented.
Consequently, she stated that the purpose of the summit was to bring neurological health to the forefront of the nation’s policy, financing, advocacy, and healthcare planning.
“We are here to say that brain health is foundational health. It is not a luxury. It is not optional. It is not the concern of a few specialists. It is central to life itself.
“We must build our nation, and by extension, Africa where no one becomes disabled or dies from a treatable neurological condition simply because of ignorance, poverty, or policy failure”, she said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization Nigeria Team Lead for Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases, Dr Mya Ngon noted that the summit was the opportunity for stakeholders to collaborate.
She therefore stated that, “WHO would like to recommit ourselves to work with the federal ministry of health as a key stakeholder to work on the intervention of the neurological disorder and to scale it up and allow the growing number of people living with this condition access to the quality care, treatment and rehabilitation that they need”.
