King’s Global Health Partnerships (KGHP) has been awarded a two-year $554,582 grant from the CRI Foundation to develop further and expand its long-standing partnership in Sierra Leone.
The award, which is for a period up to April 2028, will cover core leadership, operational costs and clinical volunteering within KGHP’s Sierra Leone program (KGHP-SL), ensuring continued partnership with Connaught National Referral & Teaching Hospital, the University of Sierra Leone’s College of Medicine & Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) and the Ministry of Health.
Established in 2012, KGHP-SL has proven to be a dependable partner in the development of healthcare in Sierra Leone. The partnership has supported the reform of undergraduate medical, nursing and pharmacy curricula, set up an infectious diseases unit and opened the first specialist stroke ward in the country at Connaught Hospital over the past 15 years. KGHP-SL constructed six isolation sites in West Africa, treating over 1,150 patients and helping to establish the Freetown Ebola Command Centre. The program has provided international clinical placements with over 125 volunteers working alongside Sierra Leonean colleagues and supported local staff to take up electives and postgraduate study including master’s and PhDs at King’s College London.
KGHP and its Sierra Leone partners agreed on a new strategic direction for their partnership in January 2026. The CRI Foundation grant will enable KGHP-SL to address a range of priorities such as emergency care, surgery, infectious diseases, mental health, cancer and palliative care, dental and oral health, postgraduate training, hospital leadership, digital health and clinical research. The funding is specifically aimed at protecting the core infrastructure of the partnership, but allowing for targeted expansion into areas identified as priorities by Sierra Leonean partners.
The grant has helped to build up leadership in the country. KGHP welcomes Noah Sesay as Partnership Coordinator in Sierra Leone. Sesay is a pharmacist trained at COMAHS and Connaught Hospital who previously worked with KGHP as an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) “Champion” for the Commonwealth Partnership for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS). He is currently undertaking an MRes at King’s College London, funded by a Commonwealth scholarship.
The CRI Foundation is much appreciated for their support. The funding could not have come at a better time. Dr Oliver Johnson, Director of King’s Global Health Partnerships, said: “It gives us the stability to protect fifteen years of progress in strengthening Sierra Leone’s health system, and the platform to build an ambitious new chapter in our partnership.
KGHP also expects the CRI Foundation grant to be a springboard for further investment, in addition to sustaining current activity. The organisation seeks additional funders to scale and maintain its work in Sierra Leone. Possible partners include the Else Kröner Fresenius Stiftung and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The combined support will help to embed clinical improvements, training and leadership in Sierra Leone’s health institutions over time, says KGHP.
