While inflation dips to 15.10 percent, policymakers remain optimistic about Nigeria’s economic outlook. But with the cost of living still severely straining the workforce, workplace anxiety, depression, and burnout are at an all-time high. Businesses in key sectors are experiencing decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher employee turnover. Nigeria cannot ignore this drain on human capital if it is to succeed in its economic recovery. Addressing the issues at hand calls for a two-pronged approach. First, the Nigerian government must update its health regulations to expand access to digital mental health care and telemedicine. Private companies must also voluntarily implement workplace wellness policies.
Over the years, policymakers have focused on fiscal metrics in economic reform while entirely ignoring the toll inflation takes on the average worker. The consequences are clearly evident in the recurring labour strikes paralysing the country and exposing a workforce stretched to its limit. Today, approximately 50 million Nigerians suffer from some form of mental health problem, and 75 percent cannot access professional help. This disparity disproportionately affects young adults, forcing the brightest Nigerian minds to emigrate for their survival. If left unaddressed, this silent crisis will turn our greatest demographic advantage into a severe economic liability.
To bridge the mental health infrastructure gap, Nigeria must improve regulations for digital health startups and telemedicine. This solution is necessary because public psychiatric hospitals cannot afford to serve over 200 million people. With digital solutions, access to care becomes immediate via mobile phones.
The government of Rwanda has been successful with this model. By collaborating with digital health providers, the government enabled millions of citizens to access medical consultations via basic mobile devices. As a result, hospital wait times were significantly reduced, and access to care was expanded to rural areas and previously underserved communities.
To enact this model, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) must develop new regulatory frameworks. These frameworks must license the provision of both online therapy and digital mental health platforms.
Such changes will attract investment from private technology companies. The changes will also give millions of workers affordable, immediate access to mental health resources, helping to reverse the significant productivity losses from burnout.
In addition to government action, organisations must take the initiative to combat workforce burnout at the institutional level. Relying solely on government intervention without corporate involvement will likely leave companies with temporary performance gaps and stall development. Untreated mental health issues cost the global economy over $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. Yet companies that actively protect their workers’ mental health can see up to a 50 percent drop in turnover and a 21 percent increase in profitability.
For companies seeking a more direct and effective approach to supporting employees’ mental health, taking proactive steps is essential. These steps should include establishing policies that support flexible schedules, offering paid mental health days off, and providing corporate subscriptions to teletherapy.
The effectiveness of this proactive approach to mental health has been demonstrated in other countries. Companies in South Africa that implemented comprehensive wellness programs reported a dramatic drop in employee absenteeism and turnover.
When companies in Nigeria invest directly in employee psychological well-being, the benefits are measurable. The companies involved avoid the high costs of recruiting and training new employees, thereby creating a competitive advantage for their businesses. This development, in turn, creates room for sustainable profits year-round.
Nigeria has the opportunity to build a healthy, reliable, and successful workforce by integrating digital health policy with corporate wellness. The choice before us is clear. Either we take immediate action to support the people who support our economy. Or watch as unaddressed burnout and a collapsing public healthcare system stall our national growth.
David Okigbo is a writing fellow at African Liberty. He is on X as @ddevilsworkshop.
Article first appeared in TheCable.
Photo by AMISON via Iwaria.