ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia and Gambian Defence and Security Forces opened a week-long breast cancer awareness campaign on Monday, 19 October 2026, at the Gambia School of Nursing and Midwifery in Banjul, per an ECOWAS report.
The campaign, held to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, began with a route march through the principal streets of Greater Banjul before an official launch ceremony at the school.
Dignitaries and participants from the ECOWAS Permanent Mission, ECOMIG and the GDSF attended.
Force Commander ECOMIG Col Aliou Tine delivered the welcome remarks. The Special Guest of Honour then gave the keynote address.
In that address, Assistant Inspector General of Police Madam Amie Nyassi said breast cancer remains a major health concern affecting millions of people around the world.
She said that when cases are identified early and appropriate treatment is provided, the chances of successful treatment are generally much higher, and she urged those present to stand together in the fight against the disease.
Maj EC Chukwu, the Medical Officer from the Nigerian Company (NIGCOY 11) serving with ECOMIG, gave a lecture on breast cancer and related issues during the launch.
Volunteers from NIGCOY 11, GHANCOY 10, SENBATT 10, the Gambia Armed Forces, the Gambia Police Force and the Gambia Fire Department then gave demonstrations on self-breast examination.
The campaign is scheduled to run to Thursday, 22 October 2026, with sensitisation programmes, awareness activities and screenings for GDSF personnel and communities in Yundum, Barra and Kanfenda.
Breast cancer awareness campaigns of this kind typically combine public education with practical instruction in self-examination, a low-cost step that health authorities generally present as a way for people to notice changes that warrant clinical assessment.
In many countries, October has become the established month for such drives, with military and security institutions among the organisations that run them for their own personnel as well as for surrounding communities.
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