(Monrovia, November 11, 2026)— The Ministry of Health (MOH), through its Non-communicable Diseases and Injuries (NCDI) Unit, has commenced a three-day curriculum development workshop to establish the country’s first Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree program in Physiotherapy.
The project, undertaken in collaboration with World Physiotherapy, World Hope International and the University of Liberia’s College of Health Sciences, seeks to develop a comprehensive academic framework for training professional physiotherapists to address the country’s growing rehabilitation needs.
The workshop opened Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at the Ministry, with discussions focused on developing the mission and vision for the proposed program. These will guide the formulation of the graduate profile, competency framework and program learning outcomes.
During the opening session, NCDI Unit Director Mrs. Jamesetta G. Smith thanked the collaborating partners and encouraged participants to carefully deliberate on the curriculum’s international relevance and its potential impact on the next generation of physiotherapists in Liberia.
Participants are also examining the country’s rehabilitation priorities, including rural healthcare needs, workforce shortages and the roles physiotherapists should perform across different healthcare settings.
Madam Nancy M. Kanneh Saydee, Rehabilitation, Injuries and Assistive Technology Coordinator at the NCDI Unit, facilitated discussions on national rehabilitation need workforce priorities and the professional responsibilities of physiotherapists.
According to Dr, Wahdae-mai Harmon-Gray, Director of the University of Liberia’s School of Public Health, the workshop is expected to produce a curriculum framework that will guide the training of qualified physiotherapists capable of delivering rehabilitation services in hospitals, community health facilities and other healthcare institutions.
The exercise is also benefiting from regional experiences, with physiotherapists from Sierra Leone sharing insights into the development of their country’s physiotherapy training program, including challenges encountered and lessons Liberia could apply.
The curriculum development process follows four previous stakeholder working sessions initiated by the NCDI Unit in collaboration with World Hope International, an assistive technology partner, and World Physiotherapy, the global professional body for physiotherapy.
Those consultations brought together representatives from teaching hospitals, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Liberia Medical and Dental Council, the Liberia Nursing and Midwifery Board, the National Commission on Disabilities, development partners, and the Ministry’s Mental Health, Policy and Neglected Tropical Diseases Units.
The three-day exercise is being led by an international consultant physiotherapist and professor from Rwanda, with technical support from faculty members of the University of Liberia’s College of Health Sciences, physiotherapists from the Monrovia Rehabilitation Center, Ghana and Sierra Leone, and representatives of World Physiotherapy.
Their collective expertise is expected to ensure that the proposed curriculum meets internationally recognized physiotherapy competencies, professional practice standards and educational requirements while responding to Liberia’s healthcare priorities.
The workshop continues November 12 and 13, 2026, at D’Calabash in Monrovia.
The initiative marks a significant step toward strengthening Liberia’s rehabilitation workforce and building local capacity to provide specialized care for people with disabilities, recovering from injuries, and managing non-communicable diseases and other conditions requiring rehabilitation.
Upon establishment, the proposed BSc program is expected to create a formal pathway for training professional physiotherapists locally, strengthen the country’s healthcare system and expand access to rehabilitation services nationwide.