A brief report on confronting Africa's suicide crisis

Abstract Africa loses hundreds of citizens to suicide annually. This burden is exacerbated by weak surveillance, chronic under-resourcing of mental health services, and a colonial-era law criminalising attempted suicide. This perspective situates Uganda's crisis within global and regional trends, examines legal, systemic, and social barriers to prevention, and argues for decriminalisation, increased financing, and multi-sectoral coordination as the foundation of an evidence-based national response.