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From One Specialist to a Growing Team: How Sierra Leone’s Partnership with MIT Is Transforming Prosthetics Care


The Chief’s Diary: Sierra Leone Records 1,000% Increase in Orthotics and Prosthetics Specialists Through MIT Partnership

Sierra Leone has recorded a remarkable 1,000% increase in trained and certified orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) caregivers, following an ongoing partnership between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

President Julius Maada Bio today met with Professor Hugh Herr of the MIT Media Lab to review the progress of Sierra Leone’s partnership with MIT and discuss the future of prosthetics and assistive technology care in the country.

The progress marks a significant development in a sector that has long faced critical shortages of trained professionals.

In the early 2000s, Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that the government invest in orthotics and prosthetics care and training. However, before the current partnership with MIT began, Sierra Leone had only one trained and certified O&P caregiver.

Today, the country has recorded a 1,000% increase in trained and certified O&P caregivers, reflecting the impact of sustained investment in specialist training, technology and institutional partnerships.

A Partnership That Has Grown Over Time

March 2019: President Bio visited MIT as the Government of Sierra Leone signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the institution. Around the same period, Njala University became a member of MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab.

"MIT: President Julius Maada Bio visits MIT" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/1)

September 2021: MIT announced the establishment of a new bionics center following a $24 million gift. One of the center's pillars focused specifically on advancing bionics and related work in Sierra Leone.

"MIT: New Bionics Center Established" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/2)

February 2023: MIT's K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics and Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health signed an agreement aimed at strengthening orthotic and prosthetic capabilities and services in the country.

"MIT: Collaboration to Strengthen Orthotic and Prosthetic Care in Sierra Leone" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/3)

December 2024: MIT and Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health launched a specialized training programme for future clinicians in the fabrication of artificial limbs and braces for people living with disabilities.

"MIT: Sierra Leone's Inaugural Class of O&P Clinicians" (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/4)

September 2026: President Bio, Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Minister Bah and Minister Wurie travelled to Boston to deepen Sierra Leone's partnership with MIT's K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics and discuss the next phase of collaboration.

The partnership is focused on expanding access to assistive technologies while strengthening the people, technologies and infrastructure needed to deliver high-quality orthotic and prosthetic products and services in Sierra Leone and across the sub-region.

From One Specialist to a Growing National Capacity

The journey from a single trained and certified O&P caregiver to a growing pool of specialists represents a significant shift in Sierra Leone's capacity to provide specialized care to people who require prosthetic limbs, orthotic devices and other assistive technologies.

The collaboration with MIT is therefore not only about technology. It is also about building local expertise, strengthening healthcare institutions and developing a sustainable system capable of serving Sierra Leoneans and potentially communities across the wider West African sub-region.

As Sierra Leone continues to deepen its relationship with MIT, the focus is increasingly shifting toward what comes next: expanding specialist training, improving access to advanced assistive technologies and building the infrastructure required to sustain high-quality O&P services.

The story of Sierra Leone's partnership with MIT is increasingly becoming a story of building local capacity, one specialist, one institution and one innovation at a time.

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