On 17th February 2026, the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) Sierra Leone commenced the year with renewed energy and purpose by hosting a leadership orientation meeting on the ISO accreditation at its Wilberforce headquarters. The meeting, chaired by the Executive Director, Professor Foday Sahr, brought together the Deputy, Alhaji Dr. Mohamed Alex Vandi, as well as Directors, Managers, and Coordinators across the Agency. This collective gathering underscored the importance of shared responsibility and collaboration in walking through the Staged Development Tool (STD) introduced at the meeting. The STD is designed for country ownership: it is a self-assessment carried out in a closed setting, which minimize defensiveness and promote open, frank discussion (Barzilay et al., 2018)
Dr. Eric Ikoona did a presentation on the SDT, a pathway to institutional excellence and International Standard Organization (ISO) accreditation. He further explained that the framework provides a structured approach for National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) to strengthen their systems and align with global standards.
The presentation outlined a four-stage maturity model—Basic, Developing, Advanced, and Leading Edge—categorizing the six assessment domains: Strategic Direction, Systems, Resources, Quality, Engagement, and Impact. This structured approach ensures that institutions move forward with clarity, efficiency, and measurable progress.
Each directorate within the agency will lead their team through discussion guides to assess the institutional efficiency across the six domains at each maturity stage, producing a comprehensive capacity portfolio that reflects the agency's strengths, gaps, and opportunities for growth.
For NPHA Sierra Leone, the SDT is not just an assessment; it is the foundation for aspiring towards ISO accreditation.
Dr. Ikoona stressed that the directorate must coordinate and collaborate in achieving the ISO accreditation. He further explained the importance of an SDT implementation roadmap, describing it as the key to success. “Building NPHA Sierra Leone into a regional model is not only an assessment but also a commitment to systematic institutional growth.
In his concluding statement, the Executive Director thanked Dr. Ikoona for sharing the SDT framework. He underscored that the SDT is more than an assessment exercise. It is the foundation upon which we will build ISO accreditation. ISO recognition is not just about compliance; it is about demonstrating to the world that Sierra Leone’s public health systems operate at the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency.
Public Relations Unit, NPHA-SL