Freetown, Sierra Leone, July 14, 2026
The National Public Health Agency (NPHA), in collaboration with the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), has successfully concluded its three-day Staged Development Tool (SDT) Leadership Workshop at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Freetown. The workshop marked another significant milestone in the Agency’s ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional systems, improve organizational performance, and build a resilient National Public Health Institute capable of effectively preventing, detecting, and responding to public health threats.
Held under the theme “Prioritizing the Gaps,” the second day of the workshop focused on identifying and ranking the Agency’s most pressing institutional development priorities. The session brought together the Executive Leadership, Directors, Programme Managers, and technical experts from across the NPHA to review the findings of the recently completed SDT self-assessment.
The workshop attracted broad participation from key departments and programmes, including Surveillance and Epidemiology, Laboratory Services, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Legal Affairs, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Gender, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Risk Communication and Community Engagement, Port Health, Public Health Emergency Operations, Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Finance, Administration and Human Resources, among several other technical and support units. Their diverse expertise ensured that discussions reflected the Agency’s multidisciplinary approach to public health and institutional development.
Throughout the working sessions, participants critically examined the Agency’s strengths and areas requiring improvement across governance, leadership, workforce development, surveillance systems, laboratory capacity, emergency preparedness and response, communications, partnership coordination, and other essential public health functions. Rather than simply identifying institutional gaps, participants worked collaboratively to determine which areas should be prioritized to achieve the greatest long-term impact on the Agency’s effectiveness and sustainability.
Using an objective and evidence-based prioritization process, participants assessed each identified gap against key criteria, including urgency, feasibility, expected public health impact, resource availability, and alignment with the NPHA’s strategic objectives. This process enabled the leadership to distinguish immediate actions from longer-term institutional reforms, ensuring that investments are directed toward interventions capable of producing measurable improvements in organizational performance and service delivery.
Speaking during the workshop, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency, Professor Dr. Foday Sahr, underscored the importance of continuously strengthening public health institutions to safeguard national health security. He noted that the Staged Development Tool provides the Agency with an opportunity to objectively evaluate its institutional capacity, recognize areas of progress, and identify practical actions that will strengthen its ability to protect the health of Sierra Leoneans.
Professor Sahr emphasized that building a strong National Public Health Institute requires committed leadership, collective ownership, and accountability at every level of the organization. He stressed that the workshop was not merely an assessment exercise but a strategic platform for shaping the future of the NPHA through practical, measurable, and sustainable institutional improvements.
Representatives from IANPHI, Africa CDC, and the U.S. CDC commended the National Public Health Agency for demonstrating strong leadership and commitment to continuous institutional improvement. They noted that the Staged Development Tool is globally recognized as one of the leading frameworks for assessing and strengthening National Public Health Institutes. Around the world, the SDT has helped public health institutions identify organizational gaps, prioritize investments, improve governance structures, enhance technical capacity, and establish sustainable systems that strengthen preparedness and response to public health emergencies.
For the NPHA, the successful implementation of the SDT process is expected to deliver significant long-term benefits. It will strengthen governance and leadership systems, improve coordination across departments, support workforce development, enhance surveillance and laboratory services, reinforce emergency preparedness and response mechanisms, improve accountability and operational efficiency, and strengthen evidence-based decision-making. The process will also position the Agency to better mobilize resources, build stronger partnerships, align with international public health standards, and increase its credibility as Sierra Leone’s National Public Health Institute.
Importantly, the workshop reinforces Sierra Leone’s contribution to the global health security agenda. Strong National Public Health Institutes are internationally recognized as the cornerstone of effective disease prevention, early detection, and rapid response to outbreaks and other health emergencies. By strengthening its institutional capacity through internationally accepted frameworks such as the SDT, the NPHA is not only improving national preparedness but also contributing to regional and global efforts to prevent the cross-border spread of infectious diseases and other emerging public health threats.
The workshop concluded with participants developing a comprehensive institutional action plan outlining priority interventions, clearly defined responsibilities, implementation timelines, measurable performance indicators, quick wins, and mechanisms for monitoring progress. This roadmap will guide the Agency’s institutional strengthening efforts over the coming years and ensure that identified priorities are translated into tangible improvements.
The successful completion of the Staged Development Tool Leadership Workshop represents another important step in the National Public Health Agency’s transformation journey. Through strategic partnerships, inclusive leadership, and evidence-based planning, the NPHA continues to build a stronger, more resilient, and internationally respected public health institution dedicated to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of the people of Sierra Leone while contributing meaningfully to global health security.
Public Relations Unit
NPHA-SL