Freetown—From 1–3 December 2025, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and the WHO Sierra Leone Country Office jointly conducted a high-level Resource Mobilization (RM) Masterclass in Freetown to strengthen Sierra Leone’s capacity for effective and sustainable health financing for the 2026–2027 biennium.

The three-day training brought together WHO Sierra Leone staff and Ministry of Health officials to enhance skills in strategic partnership building and proposal development. During the workshop, participants developed five fully costed proposals with clear results frameworks, making them bankable, impactful, and closely aligned with donor priorities.

Speaking at the opening, WHO Country Representative, Dr. George Ameh, emphasized the importance of coordinated RM efforts: “This Masterclass is a major step toward strengthening our ability to mobilize resources in a more strategic and unified way. With stronger proposals and stronger partnerships, Sierra Leone will be better positioned to expand essential health services and improve health outcomes.”

The training focused on innovative donor engagement, FENS compliant collaboration with partners, and improved visibility strategies, key elements for attracting sustainable financing for priority health interventions. Younhong Min, Technical Officer for Resource Mobilization at WHO AFRO, highlighted the practical value of the sessions: “Our goal was to equip staff with tools they can apply immediately. The quality of proposals developed here shows that Sierra Leone is ready to compete confidently for funding at regional and global levels.”

Participants expressed appreciation for the hands-on approach. Ibrahim Kamara, one of the trainees, shared: “This training has given us a clearer understanding of the RM process. We now feel more confident in engaging partners and developing proposals that can bring real impact to our health system.”

By building a shared understanding of RM processes and strengthening technical skills, the Masterclass has laid a strong foundation for turning ideas into measurable results. Sierra Leone is now better positioned to attract investment, reinforce health system resilience, and advance progress toward national and global health goals.