oluwatosin oyeniyi BANJUL, The Gambia — The Gambia has adopted its first National Dementia Plan for 2027–2031, establishing a national framework to improve awareness, early diagnosis, care and support for people living with dementia and their families. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the milestone on 19 October, describing it as the first dedicated national dementia plan of its kind in the WHO African Region.
The plan was validated and adopted during a stakeholder workshop held from 28 to 29 September 2026. Led by the Ministry of Health’s National Mental Health Programme, its development received technical and financial support from WHO’s country office in The Gambia, its Regional Office for Africa and its headquarters. Government representatives, healthcare professionals, civil society groups, academics and development partners participated in the process. The initiative comes as dementia remains an under-recognised public health concern across much of Africa, where limited awareness, stigma and gaps in specialised healthcare can prevent people from receiving timely assessment and support.
A growing public health challenge
Dementia is an umbrella term for conditions that affect memory, thinking and the ability to perform everyday activities. Although it becomes more common with age, it is not an inevitable part of normal ageing. Symptoms may be mistaken for ordinary forgetfulness, while misconceptions can lead families to delay seeking medical advice.
According to WHO estimates cited in its announcement, approximately 57 million people worldwide live with dementia. In The Gambia, modelled estimates put the number of people affected at between 3,800 and 4,000, potentially rising to nearly 13,000 by 2050.
These projections underline the need to prepare healthcare services for a growing number of people who may require diagnosis, ongoing care and assistance with daily living. They also highlight the pressures that dementia can place on relatives, many of whom provide care without formal training, financial assistance or access to psychosocial support.
What the new plan aims to change
The National Dementia Plan provides a framework for action across several areas, including public awareness, prevention and risk reduction, early identification, diagnosis, treatment, care and support.
It also prioritises strengthening the skills of the health workforce, improving health information and research, supporting family caregivers, and establishing systems for coordination, accountability and monitoring. The framework adapts the seven action areas of WHO’s global dementia action plan into four national priorities.
A key challenge will be ensuring that these commitments reach beyond policy documents and become part of everyday healthcare. Better awareness could encourage families to seek professional advice when they notice persistent changes in a relative’s memory or behaviour. Training healthcare workers could also help improve recognition, assessment and referral, including at primary healthcare level.
The plan further creates an opportunity to connect dementia care with mental health services, noncommunicable disease programmes, disability support, social protection and healthy-ageing initiatives. Such coordination matters because the needs of people living with dementia often extend beyond medical treatment to include practical assistance, social inclusion and sustained family support.
Tackling stigma and supporting caregivers
In The Gambia, as in other settings, stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental health and neurological conditions can discourage families from seeking help. When symptoms are misunderstood or attributed to supernatural causes, people may experience isolation and miss opportunities for appropriate assessment and care.
Public education will therefore be essential to the plan’s success. Awareness campaigns need to explain dementia in accessible language, challenge harmful misconceptions and help communities understand how to support affected people with dignity.
Caregivers also need to be recognised as a central part of the response. Families may face emotional strain, financial pressures and long hours of unpaid care, particularly when formal services are limited. Access to reliable information, counselling, practical guidance and community-based support could help ease some of these burdens.
The plan’s effectiveness will partly depend on whether such services are made accessible to families outside the Greater Banjul Area, including people in rural and underserved communities. Without deliberate attention to geographic and financial barriers, a national framework may not translate into equal access for everyone.
Implementation will determine its impact
The Gambia’s initiative also has regional significance. WHO has reported that, as of 2024, none of the 47 countries in its African Region had a national dementia plan, either as a standalone framework or integrated into broader health strategies. The Gambia’s adoption therefore offers other governments a model for placing dementia more firmly on their public health agendas.
However, adoption is only the first step. The government will need to sustain political leadership, allocate adequate funding, train health and social care workers, strengthen data collection and establish clear mechanisms for tracking progress through 2031.
Lamin Dampha, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, warned against allowing the plan to remain an unimplemented policy document, calling for a whole-of-government effort to deliver its commitments. WHO representatives similarly stressed that its value should be judged by improvements in the lives of people living with dementia and those who care for them.
The next phase will require collaboration among public institutions, healthcare providers, community organisations, families and development partners. Progress should be reflected in practical outcomes: greater public understanding, earlier identification, improved access to services, better-informed caregivers and stronger protection of the dignity and rights of affected people.
For The Gambia, the plan establishes a foundation for a more coordinated national response. Whether it becomes a regional example of progress will depend on turning its priorities into accessible services and measurable improvements for families across the country.
