Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has taken a step toward strengthening inclusive disaster management with the successful completion of a nationwide regional engagement led by its Gender and Social Inclusion Coordinator, Erica A. B. Konneh.
The exercise, conducted from 19 to 26 January 2026, covered all four NDMA regional offices in the North-West, Northern, Eastern, and Southern Regions. It brought together regional staff to deepen understanding of gender mainstreaming, social inclusion, and the importance of gender-sensitive data in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
The delegation included NDMA Internal Auditor Abdul Razak Kemoh, Deputy Director of Human Resource and Administration Mather Baindu Lahai, and Gender and Social Inclusion Coordinator Erica A. B. Konneh. Staff across all regions actively participated in interactive discussions aimed at strengthening gender-inclusive practices within NDMA operations.
Speaking on the objectives of the visit, Konneh said the engagement was designed to ensure that gender and social inclusion are embedded as core principles at every stage of disaster management, rather than treated as standalone concepts.
“Gender and social inclusion are fundamentally human rights issues,” she noted. “Our goal is to ensure that disaster response at NDMA leaves no one behind, whether women, men, children, older persons, or persons living with disabilities.”
She emphasized that the visit also sought to motivate regional staff to act as inclusion ambassadors within their daily work, particularly in community engagements and assessments. According to her, accurate and inclusive data collection remains critical for effective planning, coordination with partners and resource mobilization.
The engagement sessions were structured into presentations followed by open discussions, allowing staff to share experiences, ask questions and propose solutions. A post-session questionnaire administered across all regions recorded a 92.3 per cent response rate, indicating strong participation and providing reliable insights into staff perspectives on gender work within the Agency.
Staff reported gaining a clearer understanding of gender mainstreaming as a mindset that cuts across the entire disaster cycle, from preparedness to recovery. Many acknowledged learning that gender issues extend beyond women and children to include men and other vulnerable groups, and that inclusive disaster management requires the development of skills such as communication, coordination, ethical data collection and risk communication.
Commenting on the importance of the initiative, the Director General of NDMA, John Vandy Rogers described the regional engagement as a strategic investment in institutional effectiveness.
“Inclusive disaster management is not optional, it is essential,” the Director General said. “When gender and social inclusion are properly mainstreamed, our interventions become more effective, more accountable and more responsive to the real needs of affected communities.”
The Director General further assured that management would carefully review the findings and recommendations from the visit, noting that many of the concerns raised have implications beyond the Gender Unit due to the Agency’s integrated operational structure.
In her concluding remarks, Konneh described the regional tour as both professionally enriching and institutionally valuable.
“This visit strengthened my confidence, built stronger relationships with colleagues, and gave me firsthand insight into the realities of gender work in the regions,” she said. “With the right tools, training and support, regional staff can significantly enhance NDMA’s impact at community level.”
She expressed appreciation to NDMA Management for approving and supporting the visit, describing it as a clear demonstration of leadership’s commitment to equity, inclusion and people-centred disaster management.
The regional engagement aligns with NDMA’s broader mandate to promote resilient communities through inclusive, coordinated and evidence-based disaster risk management across Sierra Leone.
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