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Yokoè (Fides News Agency) – In Togo, cognitive disorders continue to be treated somewhat superficially, despite their serious impact on the lives of patients and their families: loss of autonomy, social isolation, and loss of dignity. Faced with this reality, the Togolese Province of the Society of African Missions (SMA) has promoted the creation of the “Ahonhon Center” neuropsychology clinic in Yokoè. Its name comes from Guingbe, a local language, and means “brain,” as Charles Ayetan, Communications Manager for the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), explained to Fides. Located about fifteen kilometers from the center of Lomé, near the Little Sisters of the Holy Family Medical Center and the parish of St. John the Baptist, the center is part of a broader effort to strengthen specialized care in West Africa.
“Initially, the goal was to support teenagers in difficulty, whether due to family conflicts or problems at home,” Father Fabien Sognon, the first Provincial Superior of the SMA in Togo, explained to Fides. “Over time, the project evolved. Faced with growing needs, the center decided to focus on brain health. Today, it treats cognitive disorders at all ages, including memory, attention, and concentration problems in students, as well as age-related cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. It also offers support to people whose cognitive functions have been affected by head injuries or strokes.”
The mission of the Ahonhon Center is “to care for the person in their deepest sense: their brain, their intelligence, their memory, their identity, and their humanity,” declared its director, Father Jean-Paul Lawson. “The center’s originality lies in its integrated approach, which combines clinical care, rehabilitation, and research. This holistic vision emphasizes a deep understanding of brain function and interventions based on scientific evidence, taking into account local cultural contexts,” explains Fr. Lawson.
The Center seeks to offer a concrete response to the lack of care in the country for cognitive disorders and was inaugurated on April 11 by the Apostolic Nuncio to Togo and Benin, Archbishop Rubén Darío Ruiz Mainardi, who thanked the SMA Fathers of Togo for this initiative. He was accompanied by the current SMA Provincial of Togo, Father Jean-Paul Kpatcha, other SMA Fathers, the NDA nuns, and the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, partners and friends of the project, as well as the artisans and workers who contributed to the building's construction.
Beyond its healthcare mission, the Ahonhon Center is part of a pastoral initiative linked to the "Methuselah Project," dedicated to the elderly. Within this framework, the Methuselah House, adjacent to the center, offers an environment that combines spiritual accompaniment, human support, and therapeutic care, with the aim of combating the social isolation of older adults and valuing their role in society.
With this inauguration, the Church and the SMA Province of Togo reaffirm their commitment to healthcare, especially in a still underdeveloped sector such as brain health, at the service to human dignity and the well-being of the population. (AP) (Fides News Agency, 20/4/2026)
