Opportunities for growing psychology due to the COVID-19 pan-demic in a non-Western context: the case of Ghana in West Africa

Emmanuel  Dziwornu; Seth Oppong

Emmanuel Dziwornu Department of Psychological Medicine and Mental Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4637-2371
Seth Oppong Department of Psychology, University of Botswana, Botswana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1977-5538

Abstract

There appears to be a gap between the potential and actual impacts of psychology on the African continent in general and particularly in Ghana. Meanwhile, psychology is an essential health service in emergency/pandemic situations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, psychology has become a significant channel for the promotion of wellbeing in many communities worldwide. This paper presents an account of how psychology in Ghana gained prominence by seizing the opportunity provided by the COVID-19 pandemic to provide the required psychosocial support the country needed in the hard times. The essence is to provide exemplars for countries where psychology is dormant and underutilised to make gains for the citizenry and the profession.