Oguche, PenOp CEO

By Ngozi Onyeakusi—In commemoration of World Mental Health Day, Pension Fund operators Association of Nigeria held a mental health awareness webinar, hosting participants across the pension industry.

 

Mental health concerns have risen in recent times in Nigeria, however, these conversations are not being had as much as it should.  The workplace, where people spend most of their time also contributes to pressures that result in increased mental health challenges. On the back of this, the association leveraged its monthly knowledge sharing sessions as an avenue to create awareness, initiate these conversations and seek to better inform its members on this issue.

 

The session, which was facilitated by Akanimo Ekong; a certified Mental Health Counsellor and Performance Coach was engaging and interactive with participant asking questions and getting answers on how to be empathetic in the workplace, how to spot danger signals and where to go to get help.

Participants left the session understanding new ways to navigate life for better mental wellbeing  for themselves and others around them.

Oguche Agudah, the CEO of Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) said ‘The workplace can sometimes seem like a war zone or a hostile and tense environment. People are already going through a lot and as managers or leaders of organizations, we need to support our employees and teams to overcome personal issues and be better individuals for the workplace and society’.

He concluded by encouraging participants to take the learnings into their workplace and homes.

PenOp has over the past months committed to enhancing capacity in the sector through its monthly knowledge sharing series which incorporates technical and soft skills training.