As Namibia observed World Suicide Prevention Day today, statistics reveal that the country recorded 542 cases of suicide between 2023 and 2024 and 124 between January and March this year.

The figures placed Namibia at the top of Africa's suicide list, and behind these statistics are fathers, sons, husbands, and community members whose absence left families devastated.

Speaking on Namibia Connect on NBC, motivational speaker Ngamane Karuaihe-Upi raised concerns over the lack of tailor-made interventions for men, who make up the majority of suicide cases.

"We don't have programmes to prepare men to deal with these empowered young women and girls. We have programmes that say peace must be a cornerstone entity within our relationships at home. But we don't have programmes that say, 'As men, how do you make sure that peace prevails at home?' How do you make sure that as a man, you are leading and you are leading your family?"

Visual artist Dingalo Shinyama said he has witnessed fellow artists take their lives due to the struggles they face.

"We need attention for the fact that we need moral support, financial support and emotional support. Most people tend to think artists have it all, and then they get ignored while people are in deeper struggles. It causes depression, and then it ends with this suicide we are talking about."

Organisations such as Lifeline/ChildLine Namibia offer free counselling services through their toll-free numbers 116 and 106.