As part of the activities to celebrate and draw the attention of the public to child and adolescent mental health challenges, the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CCAMH), University of Ibadan, has organised a programme for the 2015 Day of the African Child.

The programme, presently on-going at the Paul Hendrickse Lecture Theatre, University College Hospital, Ibadan, focuses on the theme, ‘25 Years After the Adoption of the African Children’s Charter: Accelerating Our Collective Efforts to End Child Marriage in Africa’. It will feature three public lectures by different scholars in the field.

While Dr Olabisi Oshikanlu would speak on ‘Nuts, Bolts & Screws: Approaching Child Behavioural Health in 2015 and Beyond’; Dr Cornelius Ani would correspondingly speak on ‘African Migrants in the Diaspora: Cultural Issues in Child and Adolescent Mental Health’. On his part, Prof. Olayinka Omigbodun would speak on ‘Mental Health of the Girl Child: Conflicts in Culture & Child Rights’.

A statement by the Director of Public Communication, University of Ibadan, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, said that the event is designed to cause an increased awareness about the needs and ways to promote emotional and mental health of African children.

The statement, a copy of which was made available to News Express, said: “There are very few services for child and adolescent mental health care in sub-Saharan Africa and a lack of trained professionals. There is also no regular or coordinated training of health professionals for child and adolescent mental health care. What this means is that the majority of African children with disabling mental health problems go unrecognized and untreated and children within the community do not have access to mental health-promoting services or environments.”

Oladejo disclosed that the programme is supported by The MacArthur Foundation and seeks to provide training and conduct much needed research that would meet the training needs of community professionals who have contact with children and adolescents in schools, institutions, primary care and other community settings.

•Photo shows UI Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole.