African governments have been urged to make dementia a public health priority, with experts warning that the condition remains largely neglected across the continent. Dr Oma Iyoko, Chairperson of Dementia Africa, made the call on Wednesday September 2 at the inaugural Dementia Africa Conference 2026 in Abuja.
Iyoko said Africa needed coordinated systems for dementia care, research, awareness, education and policy. She identified stigma and misconceptions as major challenges, noting that some people living with dementia still face abuse, discrimination and exclusion from their communities.
She also called for better country-specific data and announced plans by Dementia Africa to establish an African Data Bank to strengthen research and Africa’s contribution to global dementia discussions. She further highlighted the burden on family caregivers and promoted the “One Africa, One Dementia Network” to facilitate knowledge and resource sharing among African countries.
Other experts called for affordable screening tools, local diagnostic capacity, integration of dementia care into primary healthcare, stronger legal protection for affected persons, and greater use of digital health and telemedicine. The conference is focused on strengthening awareness, research, policy, education and care systems for dementia across Africa.
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