Sierra Leone Records 1,000% Increase in Certified Orthotics and Prosthetics Caregivers

Sierra Leone Records 1,000% Increase in Certified Orthotics and Prosthetics Caregivers

Sierra Leone has recorded a 1,000% increase in the number of trained and certified orthotics and prosthetics caregivers, following its partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), according to Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh.

Sengeh disclosed the development on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, following a meeting between President Julius Maada Bio and Professor Hugh Herr of the MIT Media Lab to review the ongoing partnership aimed at strengthening orthotics and prosthetics care in Sierra Leone.

According to Sengeh, Sierra Leone had only one trained and certified orthotics and prosthetics caregiver before the partnership, while the number has since increased to 11.

He also noted that the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission had called for greater investment in orthotics and prosthetics care and training in the early 2000s.

The collaboration between Sierra Leone and MIT’s K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics has focused on strengthening the country’s orthotics and prosthetics sector through training, infrastructure, technology and service delivery.

In December 2024, MIT and Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health launched a specialised programme to train Sierra Leoneans in the fabrication and provision of artificial limbs and braces. The inaugural class comprised 11 Sierra Leoneans.

The partnership dates back to March 2019, when President Bio visited MIT as Sierra Leone and the institution advanced their collaboration, with Njala University also joining MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab.

In 2023, MIT’s K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics and Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen orthotic and prosthetic capabilities and services in the country.

Sengeh said the current focus includes expanding access to assistive technologies while developing the human capacity, infrastructure and systems needed to provide high-quality orthotic and prosthetic services in Sierra Leone and the wider sub-region.