Guinea-Bissau's new national public health institute arose literally from the ashes of a civil war that shattered much of the country's public health system.  To create the new NPHI, the Ministry of Health brought together the four organizations that represent the country's current national public heatlh capacity and infrastructure: National Public Health Laboratory; MOH Center for Epidemiology and Community Health, including a demographic surveillance system and research platform for malaria, HIV/AIDS, and maternal and child health (Bandim Health Project); National School of Public Health, and Center for Tropical Medicine.

The vision for INASA is of a comprehensive institution of excellence and innovation in health science and technology, contributing in a profound way to the improvement of the quality of life of the population.  It is envisioned that the NPHI will be able to provide early warnings of emergencies and define the health status and needs of the population. 

The strategic plan for an NPHI in Guinea-Bissau was prepared with technical assistance from Brazil's NPHI, FIOCRUZ.  IANPHI is supporting the establishment of INASA through a long-term NPHI development project.  On October 14, 2008, the country's Council of Ministers formally created INASA, and NPHI development officially began.