By John Kariuki
As the world marks World Hearing Day 2025, Rhoda Kabiti, CEO of the Kenya Society for Deaf Children (KSDC), is calling for urgent action to address the growing crisis of hearing loss in Africa. With an estimated 40 million Africans living with disabling hearing loss, the condition has become a major barrier to education, employment, and social inclusion. Despite its far-reaching impact, hearing loss remains one of the most neglected public health challenges on the continent.
Unaddressed hearing loss has serious consequences. Many children struggle with speech development and academic performance, while adults face limited job opportunities and economic hardship. The financial cost is staggering, with African economies losing an estimated USD 27.1 billion annually due to lost productivity. Beyond the economic toll, hearing loss often leads to social isolation, stigma, and reduced quality of life for millions.
Kabiti emphasizes that much of this hearing loss is preventable. More than 60% of childhood hearing loss can be avoided through basic public health measures such as vaccinations, proper maternal care, and early screening. For adults, many leading causes—ear infections, excessive noise exposure, and ototoxic medications—can be managed through timely intervention and awareness. However, with increasing life expectancy, age-related hearing loss is also becoming a major concern.
A growing threat is recreational noise exposure, particularly among young people. Over one billion youth worldwide are at risk of permanent hearing damage due to prolonged headphone use and exposure to loud music in clubs, concerts, and other entertainment venues. Kabiti warns that without urgent preventive measures, hearing loss among the youth could reach alarming levels in the coming decades.
Despite the rising burden of hearing loss, ear and hearing care remain under-prioritized in many African nations. However, some progress has been made. Today, 20 African countries have designated national ear and hearing care coordinators, while 11 nations have established functional national hearing care programs. While these are positive steps, Kabiti insists that more needs to be done to ensure quality hearing care is accessible to all.
To address the crisis, Kabiti is urging governments, healthcare providers, and communities to take bold and immediate action in key areas. She calls for increased access to hearing care services, especially in underserved communities, and stresses the need to combat stigma and misconceptions through public education campaigns. Integrating ear and hearing care into primary healthcare systems, expanding training programs for hearing care professionals, and investing in affordable assistive devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants are also critical steps.
Kabiti highlights this year’s World Hearing Day theme, “Changing Mindsets: Empower Yourself. Make Ear and Hearing Care a Reality for All,” as a powerful call to action. She urges individuals and communities to take responsibility for their hearing health by adopting preventive measures and advocating for better access to care.
As the world observes World Hearing Day 2025, Kabiti is calling on African leaders, policymakers, and health stakeholders to step up efforts to break the silence, empower communities, and ensure that ear and hearing care is a reality for all.
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