Ghana’s mental health sector has received a major boost with the opening of Phase I of the Women’s Wellness & Mental Health Centre, a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to women and children.

The centre is a collaboration between the KGL Foundation and the Eve Medical Foundation.

Located in the Ashanti Region, the facility is the first purpose-built women-focused mental health centre serving the northern half of the country.

It will provide psychiatric care, counselling, rehabilitation, emotional support, and general wellness services to women and children across Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo and the northern corridor.

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who led the opening ceremony, described the project as a turning point in Ghana’s efforts to expand mental health access and protect the well-being of vulnerable groups.

“Mental health has carried a silence for too long, and this Centre brings dignity back to women who have borne invisible burdens,” she said.

“Government remains committed to improving mental health resources, and we applaud the KGL Foundation and Eve Medical Foundation for leading with compassion and conviction.”

The Vice President further outlined the government’s health sector reforms, including the uncapping of NHIS funding and the Mahama Cares Ghana Medical Trust Fund, noting that these interventions are designed to strengthen chronic and mental health care nationwide.

She stressed that government partnerships with the private sector and foundations remain essential for meeting the needs of the growing population.

Her Royal Highness Lady Julia Osei-Tutu, who inspired the initiative, said the centre reflects a long-overdue response to the often-unspoken mental health challenges faced by women and children.

“For too long, many have suffered quietly behind their smiles,” she said.

“This Centre is my humble prayer for anyone who has ever felt unseen or unheard.

Healing is possible, and every life matters.”

KGL Foundation Chairman, Alex Apau Dadey, credited Lady Julia’s vision and compassion for driving the project.

“Long before many imagined what this facility could become, you already saw its necessity.

It takes a good heart to carry the burdens of others as though they were your own,” he noted.

CEO of the Foundation, Elliot Dadey, emphasised that the organisation is committed to sustaining the project beyond its launch.

Phase I of the multimillion-dollar initiative features psychiatric consulting rooms, therapy and counselling units, diagnostics and pharmacy services, in-patient wards, rehabilitation facilities, and administrative offices.

The centre is designed as a stigma-free, patient-centred environment tailored to the needs of women and children, and is expected to serve thousands annually.

The project is planned in three phases, to be completed by 2027.

Future stages will introduce advanced diagnostics, expanded community outreach, family therapy services, and broader wellness programmes.

Construction of Phase II is expected to begin early next year.