AYV News, September 2, 2026
Two Directors of Sierra Leone’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) have successfully completed a two-week intensive training programme on Work Safety and Emergency Management Capacity Building for English-Speaking African Countries in Beijing, China.
Mohamed L. Bah, Director of Communications, and Sinneh Mansaray, Director of Relief and Response, represented Sierra Leone at the high level seminar hosted by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Emergency Management.
The two officials were awarded certificates at a closing ceremony in Beijing marking the successful completion of the seminar which brought together mining engineers and emergency management officials from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, The Gambia and Kenya.
The training covered a wide range of areas relevant to disaster risk management, including work and mine safety, risk assessment, early warning systems, emergency preparedness and response, risk communication, post disaster coordination, and the application of digital and artificial intelligence supported technologies in safety management.
Participants also undertook technical field visits to key Chinese safety and emergency-management institutions, including the China Coal Research Institute, Shougang Mining’s Smart Mine facilities, the Digital Intelligence Center, the Mecheng Iron Ore Concentrator, and the China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing.
The field visits provided participants with practical insight into how China integrates technology, professional expertise, monitoring systems, risk assessment and institutional coordination to prevent, prepare for and effectively respond to emergencies.
For the NDMA, the training represents an important opportunity to strengthen the Agency’s technical capacity and institutional expertise in disaster risk management. The knowledge acquired is expected to contribute to improved approaches to early warning, emergency coordination, preparedness and response, and mine and workplace safety.
The training also provided the Sierra Leonean representatives with practical lessons that can be adapted to Sierra Leone’s national context.
The successful completion of the programme has also provided an opportunity for the NDMA to leverage international best practices to enhance its capacity to effectively manage disasters and emergencies in Sierra Leone.
The training opportunity has also contributed to deepening cooperation between Sierra Leone and China in disaster management, emergency preparedness and human capacity development under the broader framework of South-South cooperation.
