Suicide Prevention Interventions among the general population in Africa: A Scoping Review

Suicide is an enemy of development and a major cause of death globally. It accounts for 720,000 deaths every year, with 77% occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (World Health Organization, 2025) (WHO, 2024). Suicide can lead to direct and indirect economic costs (Folland et al., 2024; Todaro & Smith, 2020). Despite high prevalence of suicide behavior, suicide is preventable (Hofstra et al., 2020; Kasal et al., 2023). Even though suicide is a global concern, it has not been adequately addressed, and there are still some gaps in the effectiveness of policy formulation and implementation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (Campion et al., 2022; Kasal et al., 2023). For example, only 38 nations report having a national suicide prevention strategy, and only a small number of nations have made suicide prevention one of their top health objectives to date (WHO, 2024). Hence, globally, addressing suicide challenges calls for a multisectoral approach (Doran & Kinchin, 2020). Previous studies have revealed declining suicide rates among high-risk populations, suggesting the effectiveness of suicide prevention strategies (Sirithongthaworn Sommai et al., 2023). Global policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2013-2030 Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (CMHP) have also recognised suicide prevention as a vital public health priority and established goals for reducing suicide mortality (UN, 2015; World Health Organization, 2021; World Health Organization, 2022) (Schlichthorst et al., 2023). However, globally, there are still gaps in the implementation of suicide prevention interventions, despite the existence of evidence and the high goals established to execute effective preventive measures (Kasal et al., 2023). While some studies have advocated for the need to establish a national suicide prevention strategy in Africa (Osafo et al., 2020), there are limited studies synthesising actual suicide prevention strategies that have been implemented and their effectiveness in the African region. Overlooking these areas limits the capacity of policymakers and experts to identify and implement existing best approaches to suicide prevention in their contexts. This study addresses this gap by synthesizing suicide prevention interventions, outcomes and possible limitations in implementation among the at-risk population in the African region. The study uses a scoping review because it targets evidence from diverse general populations rather than a narrow assessment of a specific population. The study focuses on African countries because there are few limited synthesized strategies tailored and implemented for at-risk populations for suicide. The African region comprises countries with characteristics distinct from those of high-income countries; therefore, mapping interventions already implemented in Africa is important to understand how suicide is addressed in the region and where to focus more effort on research, policy attention and implementation. This scoping review contributes to the suicide prevention and implementation literature by synthesizing and mapping the existing evidence. It provides context-focused interventions and identifies gaps that may guide future policy development, research and program design in African countries. Hence, the review seeks to strengthen understanding of suicide prevention strategies implemented in the general population in African countries, the implementation process, remaining evidence gaps and outcomes.