Cabinet Ministers of The Gambia have hailed the initiative taken by the two Ministries of Health and Sports to organise the annual Sports for Health event.
The initiative is geared towards promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports. It brought together the UN family, politicians, judiciary, executive, legislature, civil servants, combined forces, business community, NGOs, and parastatals who participated in different sporting disciplines, as well socialised.
Speaking in an interview with Observer Sports, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr. Fatou Lamin Faye, said sports is very important particularly in disease control such as diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.
While encouraging everybody to be participating in such events, she cited the WHO report, which indicated that the global prevalence of the diseases has also nearly doubled from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. The report, she added, shows that diabetes is on the rise and it’s not at a slow rate.
Abdou Jobe, the Trade Minister said he was in attendance not only to actively take part, but as well to show support to an initiative from sister ministries, while Ousman Sonko, the Interior Minister afirmed that the initiative is very important. He agreed that sports can help in promoting a healthy living.
Minister Sonko therefore encouraged all civil servants and the general public at large to embrace sports.
The Chief Justice of The Gambia, Emmanuel Fagbenle, thanked the event organisers for the foresight, while expressing hope that the initiative would continue.
by Arfang MS Camara &
Jainaba D Jatta