Advancing Resilience in Sierra Leone: Launch of the RANA Working Group

On Tuesday, 10 February in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA), in partnership with the Africa Institute for Development & Equity (AIDE Sierra Leone) and rani, officially launched the RANA Sierra Leone Working Group, a national platform to strengthen African-led, networked advocacy for resilience.

Sierra Leone is navigating a complex resilience landscape shaped by overlapping pressures and opportunities. Communities are actively driving local solutions, the private sector is gradually expanding, and national policies are increasingly focusing on strengthening health systems, climate adaptation, and economic development. Yet the risks facing communities do not sit neatly in sectors, and neither can the response. 

This is the rationale for the Working Group designed to break down silos and align finance, gender, skills, climate, entrepreneurship, and public systems around shared resilience goals. The launch reflected a shared view that evidence and lived experience both need clearer routes into national conversations and decision-making.

The RANA Sierra Leone Working Group serves as a convening space for civil society organizations, networks, and advocates to collaborate, share insights, and identify actionable solutions across multiple sectors. Its priorities include:

• Health system resilience: Strengthening policies and community-centered approaches for better service delivery
• Climate and environmental resilience: Promoting locally led strategies for adaptation and sustainability
• Development financing: Aligning investments with national priorities and community needs
• Inclusive economic growth: Supporting entrepreneurship, mentorship, and job creation

By connecting stakeholders across sectors, the Working Group contributes to RANA’s broader mission: building a resilient, healthy Africa that is rooted in its people and globally connected, in partnership with rani.

Partners emphasised the importance of collective solutions, evidence-informed strategies, and cross-sector partnerships in building a resilient and sustainable future for Sierra Leone. The RANA Sierra Leone Working Group represents a collaborative approach to resilience anchored in African leadership, informed by evidence, and driven by shared responsibility. Its immediate value will lie in helping partners align advocacy, share intelligence, avoid duplication, and move more effectively from planning into implementation.

Join us. Partners across sectors are invited to collaborate, share knowledge, and strengthen resilience in Sierra Leone.