Ongoing collaboration between Bournemouth University’s Disaster Management Centre and Sierra Leone’s government has resulted in a new crisis management practice, based on BU research.
The project: ‘Driving African Capacity-Building in Disaster Management’ (AFRICAB), has been recognised as influential in determining the contexts for a major new disaster management policy in Sierra Leone.
On 10 October 2024, the Sierra Leone Cabinet formally approved a new World Bank-funded Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Relief, developed by the country’s National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). The new SOP will govern how Sierra Leone, under the coordination of the Agency, responds to disasters and how local national and even international actors can collaborate more effectively.
As Professor Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management and Deputy Dean of the Business School, who led the AFRICAB research, explains, “The new SOP represents a significant step toward strengthening the NDMA’s disaster management capabilities and enhancing national resilience against emergencies and major incidents in this highly disaster-prone West African country. This work has major implications for the health and wellbeing of the population.”
According to the NDMA’s 2022 Annual Report, for example, there were 291 major incidents in Sierra Leone in 2022 (virtually one a day). The country has a population of 8.7 million people.
The formal approval of the SOP is expected to have immediate and significant benefits in enhancing disaster management in this disaster-prone African country. As the NDMA Director of Relief and Response, Sinneh Mansaray says, “The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for disaster relief will improve coordination during emergencies by streamlining communication and action across various agencies. This enhancement will ensure more timely and effective responses to disasters across the entirety of Sierra Leone, as well as improving comprehensive risk assessments and recovery processes.”
The SOP on Relief was influenced by and built upon recommendations from the 2021 Final Report of the co-created AFRICAB project that included eight areas of recommendations/immediate action points, including enhancing SOPs on relief and transitions between response and recovery planning. In 2024, the UK Cabinet Office recognised the AFRICAB project as an example of international best practice in African disaster management.
Sinneh Mansaray continued, “The role of Professor Miles and Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC) needs to be explicitly recognised in helping the Government of Sierra Leone, with World Bank support, to produce such a comprehensive and significant document. The SOP represents a crucial tool in developing a more coordinated, inclusive, and responsive disaster management system in Sierra Leone. I do not doubt that the continuing cooperation between Bournemouth University and the NDMA will continue to be a cornerstone of the Agency’s ongoing success in improving disaster management and resilience in our country, now and in the future.”
