Medical practitioners in Sierra Leone are set to benefit from a high-impact, globally recognised hospital leadership training programme from the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda following the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by a delegation from the Ministry of Health (MoH).
The initiative, which aims at strengthening hospital leadership, enhancing overall health systems management nationwide and surgical services, emerged from a recently completed high-level visit to Rwanda by a team of MoH’s leadership headed by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services, Dr. Mustapha Kabba. The MOU, signed by Dr. Kabba on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, will strengthen the capacity of the country’s hospital leadership and surgical spectrum through structured skills transfer, shared learning, mentorship, and practical exposure to effective hospital governance, financing, and service delivery models, aligned with Sierra Leone’s ongoing health sector reforms.
Welcoming the partnership, Dr. Mustapha Kabba said that the programme will be fully sponsored by UGHE and its partners at no financial cost to the Government of Sierra Leone. He reaffirmed the Sierra Leone Government’s commitment to building competent, accountable, and results-oriented leadership across the country’s healthcare ecosystem.
Dr. Kabba said; “the programme is designed to support ongoing health sector reforms and the expansion of modern and specialised surgical services across the country, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of care.”
Under the terms of the five year MOU, the first cohort of participants will begin an intensive in-person training programme in Freetown from March 2026, followed by structured online learning, mentorship support, and several months of monitored performance implementation within their respective institutions.
“Progress will be monitored through clearly defined performance indicators, leadership dashboards, and institutional benchmarks to ensure measurable and sustainable improvements in leadership effectiveness and service delivery,” Dr. Kabba further explained.
Speaking on behalf of UGHE, the Chairman at the Centre for Leadership in Global Health Equity, Nobhojit Roy, said that the collaboration will enhance leadership capacity, improve implementation efficiency, and help safeguard health sector investments through stronger coordination, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making.
As a core member of the Sierra Leone delegation, the Director of Hospitals and Ambulance Services, Mr. Ibrahim Foday-Musa, highlighted the relevance of Rwanda’s experience to Sierra Leone’s reform agenda, particularly with regard to practical lessons learned from King Faisal Hospital in Kigali. He noted that these insights are especially valuable as Sierra Leone works to better align clinical training, hospital management, and service delivery needs across public hospitals.
During the visit, the delegation toured several world-class training and service delivery facilities including the Africa Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Surgery–IRCAD Africa at the Kigali Health City and the King Faisal Hospital in Kigali. These engagements provided the delegation with first-hand exposure to state-of-the-art hospital management systems, advanced surgical services, and patient-centered care models, offering practical lessons that can be adapted to strengthen healthcare delivery in Sierra Leone.