Abimbola Olufemi honored with prestigious mental health excellence award

By Chidi Amadi

In a ceremony that spotlighted Nigeria’s boldest changemakers in healthcare, Abimbola Olufemi stood tall as one of only two recipients of this year’s Mental Health Excellence Award, a recognition that not only celebrates individual brilliance, but also signals a long-overdue shift in national and continental priorities around mental wellness.

Presented at the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards, this accolade is reserved for pioneers whose work has altered the trajectory of mental health care across Africa. In a field historically overshadowed by stigma and underinvestment, Abimbola Olufemi’s leadership has ignited a movement—one that brings visibility, dignity, and accessible treatment to populations long neglected.

For over a decade, Olufemi has championed trauma-informed care and mental health advocacy with a sense of purpose that transcends borders. Her work has fundamentally transformed how communities engage with mental health services. From inner-city clinics in Lagos to rural programs in Northern Nigeria and outreach efforts extending to Ghana and Sierra Leone, Olufemi’s vision has consistently centered on the needs of the most vulnerable, women and children affected by conflict, survivors of abuse, and marginalized groups often excluded from traditional healthcare systems.

Through her innovative Community Resilience Circles andTrauma Recovery Access Model (TRAM), she has delivered scalable, evidence-based interventions that have become a blueprint for mental health programs across Africa. These initiatives are not merely reactive—they are preventative, empowering local leaders, traditional healers, and school counselors with the tools to recognize early signs of mental distress and to foster environments of psychological safety.

Her advocacy has also led to measurable policy shifts. In collaboration with state ministries of health and international partners, Olufemi has helped integrate mental health screening into primary care protocols in three Nigerian states, a critical step toward de-stigmatizing mental illness and treating it as a public health priority. Her efforts have also influenced national dialogue, with mental health now appearing more prominently on legislative agendas than ever before.

The award ceremony, attended by esteemed medical professionals, policymakers, and global health leaders, erupted in a standing ovation as Abimbola approached the podium. Her presence alone carried the weight of thousands of lives improved by her empathy, ingenuity, and relentless pursuit of equity in healthcare. In her speech, she reminded the audience, “Mental health is not a luxury—it is a necessity. And when we build systems that see, hear, and heal people, we’re building a future that is just, humane, and whole.”

Abimbola Olufemi’s recognition is not just symbolic, it is catalytic. It affirms that mental health is no longer invisible. That trauma, grief, depression, and anxiety often carried in silence across generations, are finally being met with compassion and care at the highest levels.

As she joins an elite circle of awardees whose work defines the gold standard in healthcare, Olufemi’s name becomes synonymous with transformation. Her impact resonates far beyond the award itself, reminding the world that true leadership is measured not only in the programs built or the policies changed, but in the lives restored, the silence broken, and the dignity returned to those who once felt unseen.

Congratulations to Abimbola Olufemi, whose work continues to light the path toward a mentally healthier, more inclusive Africa. This award does not just celebrate what she has done, it anticipates the even greater legacy she is yet to create.