Building Sustainable Neuroscience Systems in Africa: Evidence and Policy Lessons From GHANA

ABSTRACT Neuroscience research, education, and clinical care in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) remain underdeveloped compared to the burden of neurological disease. Despite the global recognition of this issue, comprehensive documentation of existing capacities and growth pathways are limited. This review employs Ghana as a case study to synthesize the current state of the country's neuroscience ecosystem across six interconnected domains and proposes a policy framework that leverages the connectivity of these domains to enhance the system. These doamins are, (1) governance and leadership, (2) education and workforce, (3) research, (4) clinical care, (5) public engagement, and (6) partnerships and financing. We demonstrate that significant progress has been made through strategic partnerships spanning these areas and locally driven capacity‐building initiatives. Nonetheless, these advancements are hindered by persistent policy and systemic barriers, including inadequate neurodiagnostic infrastructure, workforce shortages and maldistribution, inequitable financing for neurological care, gender disparities in training pathways, and limited integration of neuroscience into national health priorities. We argue that sustainable progress necessitates policy‐backed coordinated activity across domains to address these challenges. Ultimately, Ghana exemplifies how locally led initiatives can drive ecosystem development despite limited resources while underscoring the need for coherent national strategies that align research, education, clinical care, and public engagement. These insights offer a roadmap for policymakers, academic institutions, and development partners, aiming to accelerate neuroscience capacity across LMICs.