The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has suggested to the government of The Gambia to include all older persons previously employed or not by the state in the pension scheme.

The country's national rights body made this recommendation along with a series of others on the heels of its commemoration of the rights of the older person on Saturday.

The rights commission called on government to ratify and domesticate the "AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa and also provide older persons with comprehensive and accessible free health care services and health insurance coverage.

It has also recommended that government develop robust social safety nets and expand the social protection programme to include older persons across the country and effectively protect and fulfill the human rights of older men and women as guaranteed under the 1997 Constitution and Women's Act 2010.

Government has also been tasked to ensure the inclusion of older persons in policy design at all levels of decision-making and gender mainstreaming of policies and programmes on the rights of older persons as well.