Health specialists, researchers, advocacy leaders and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond gathered in Abuja on Thursday for the inaugural Dementia Africa Conference 2026, where a 10-year strategy was unveiled to reposition dementia as a continental public health priority.

The conference, themed “The State of Dementia in Africa: From a Hidden Crisis to an African Continental Health Priority”, called for concrete and measurable steps to address the growing challenge of dementia across the continent.

Chairman of the conference, Amb. Stephen Ben-Joel, in his opening address, said Africa’s changing demographic profile made urgent action necessary.

He noted that although Africa remains the world’s youngest continent, its ageing population is increasing the number of people at risk of cognitive decline, many of whom experience the condition without adequate recognition or support.

“In many communities, these symptoms are misunderstood, attributed simply to old age, or unfortunately associated with superstition, spiritual attacks, witchcraft, or madness,” he said.

Ben-Joel added that the scale of the problem remains concealed when families affected by dementia suffer without being counted or receiving the necessary support.

“Dementia does not erase the value of a human life. Memory loss does not remove human dignity,” he said

The President and Founder of Dementia Africa, Dr Oma Iyoko, used the gathering to unveil the Dementia Africa Vision 2036, a 10 year strategy intended to establish a continent-wide dementia movement.

“I dream of an Africa in which dementia is no longer hidden behind the walls of stigma, misunderstanding, fear, and silence.

“I dream of an Africa in which the diagnosis of dementia does not become a sentence to invisibility,” she said.

Iyoko explained that the strategy is structured around CARER, a five pillar framework covering Conference and Care Improvement, Awareness, Research, Education, and Regulation and Policy.

As part of the strategy, she announced plans to establish the first African Dementia Data Bank. The initiative is intended to strengthen Africa’s ability to develop its own medical narratives rather than depend on external data.

According to Iyoko, the proposed data bank would operate as an interconnected research ecosystem, gathering evidence based on African genetics, languages, family structures and environments.

She said the movement has set five core continental goals to be achieved by 2036, beginning with the “One Africa, One Dementia Network”.

The network is expected to create active, non-ceremonial membership across all African nations, enabling countries to pool resources and develop care models.

The second objective, National Policy Integration, is aimed at incorporating dementia strategies into national health budgets while measuring their direct human impact.

The third, a Knowledge Powerhouse, seeks to create an African dementia library and strengthen the continent’s role as a producer of global dementia knowledge.

Workforce Development, the fourth goal, is designed to deliver continent wide training for doctors, nurses, social workers and community health personnel.

The fifth objective, a Unified Global Voice, seeks to ensure that African realities and innovations influence the global dementia agenda.

Iyoko challenged participants to conclude the conference with measurable commitments towards investment in dementia care, research, awareness and policy development.

“History does not ultimately remember how many distinguished people occupied a room or how many speeches were delivered.

“History remembers what people decided to do when they had the opportunity to act,” Iyoko said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that health specialists, policy experts, support workers and other stakeholders from across the world participated in the event.

The conference featured research presentations, panel discussions and goodwill messages from participants and stakeholders.

Source: Nan news