Accra, Ghana//-Mental experts at the fifth Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Africa Summit have called on employers to urgently prioritise the issues of mental healthcare at their workplaces to help reduce their burden on productivity.
According to the experts, staggering economic losses attributed to mental health conditions are still on the rise despite the phase-out of COVID-19, which claimed several millions of lives and disrupted millions of businesses and economies across the globe.
Mental health issues, according to recent data, are costing the global economy a colossal amount of $ 1.5 trillion in lost productivity every year. At the same time, the toll is alarming in Ghana, which is already battling with its mental health crisis.
Also, the Ghana Health Socioeconomic Survey conducted by the University of Ghana and Yale University noted that 21 per cent of adults in the country are experiencing moderate to severe psychological distress, resulting in a productivity loss equivalent to 7 per cent of GDP – implying the widespread impact mental health challenges on the country’s economy and workforce.
Sharing insights into the state of mental issues at the workplace in Ghana at the summit in Accra, CEO of Mental Health Authority, Professor Pinaman Appau, reflected on this month’s observance of World Mental Day, which is a day set globally as “we navigate a world battered by economic pressures, pandemics, political instabilities, and individual uncertainties”.
In such circumstances, the productivities of our societies depend heavily on the effectiveness of our most valuable resource, the human resource. Yet today, the mental well-being of this vital capital is increasingly strained by the harsh realities we all face”.
This 5th edition of the EAP Africa Summit was themed: ‘Mental Capital: Enhancing Socio-Economic. Growth and Development Through Cutting Edge Mental Health and Wellbeing Initiatives.
Instructively, the EAP Africa Summit is a pan-African event that has become a pivotal platform for promoting employee well-being and organisational success. It brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, government officials, human resource professionals, mental health experts, directors, NGOs, CEOs, and representatives from various industries across Africa.
Since its inception in 2020, the EAP Africa Summit has been instrumental in highlighting the importance of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and mental health support in the workplace.
These initiatives have positively impacted employee performance, engagement, and productivity. The summit aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
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