National Health Promotion and Education Policy for The Gambia, 2013-2020.

This Policy provides for addressing major health problems and their determinants in The Gambia, including the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS epidemic and for overcoming a weak health information dissemination system, in order to promote health sector development, improve healthy lifestyle, and reduce health risks and exposures associated with negative social and environmental consequences. The Mission of the Policy is to empower individuals and communities to take control of their health and its determinants, through accurate and relevant information. The Policy defines the following strategic objectives: strengthening the stewardship role of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for coordination and management of health promotion activities; strengthening communication, social mobilisation and advocacy interventions in support of health; establishing sustainable mechanisms for innovative financing of health promotion to ensure adequate funding of interventions across programmes; promoting health promotion research; strengthening multi-sectoral actions such as community participation, social dialogue and partnerships to promote and protect health across population groups.