The Gambia Nurses Association (GNA) was established and affiliated with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1965. In 1990, The Gambia Midwives Association (GMA) was also established and affiliated with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM).
In addition, the Association of Community Health Nurses was founded in March 1989, and the State Enrolled Nurse Association was founded in 1991. These associations coexisted for years with little or no interaction among them. This lack of collaboration resulted in division and friction among the various cadres of nurses and midwives in the country, hindering progress in the nursing and midwifery professions.
Recognizing these challenges and the fact that all nurses and midwives, regardless of their cadre, share four fundamental responsibilities—promoting health, preventing illness, restoring health, and alleviating suffering—the three distinct associations came together in February 2004 to form the National Association of Gambia Nurses and Midwives (NAGaNM).
NAGaNM is an independent, non-partisan, and non-governmental Nurses and Midwives Association. It holds the supreme authority to represent all nurses and midwives who are members of the Association and to protect the name and integrity of the profession and its professionals.
Our Constitution outlines NAGaNM’s mission, purpose, and objectives. It also defines the functions and relationships of its members and organizational structures. Through this Constitution, the National Association of Gambia Nurses and Midwives (NAGaNM) adopts a structure comprising:
- A General Body
- A National Executive Committee
- A Secretariat
- Seven Regional Branches of the Association
The Regional Branches of the Association are tasked with coordinating its activities at the regional level and bringing the Association closer to the nurses and midwives posted to health facilities across The Gambia’s health regions. These branches will actively engage as integral parts of the Association and will be located at the administrative headquarters of the Regional Health Teams, in alignment with The Gambia’s Local Government Act and decentralized structures. To read about the constitution, visit resources.