Monrovia, Liberia– Leading international non-governmental organization Jhpiego, in collaboration with key partners, has ended a two-day exercise to validate a Leadership Toolkit for nurses and midwives.
The Leadership Toolkit, prepared by Jhpiego, is based on the Global Nursing Leadership Competency Framework, created by Sigma Nursing, as a guide for nurses seeking to evaluate and improve their leadership.
The competency framework was created to provide a standardized set of leadership expectations, support continuous professional development, enhance teamwork, and improve the ability of nurses to lead in the healthcare system.
The nurse leadership toolkit, designed to strengthen leadership capacity in the nursing and midwifery professions, includes session plans, key content and activities needed to run a nurse leadership development program, based on the global nursing leadership competency framework.
Lauretta Nagbe, Jhpiego’s Country Program Manager in Liberia, described the validation as a critical milestone in addressing the leadership gap among healthcare providers, especially nurses and midwives.
“This gathering is a critical step toward our shared journey and vision to strengthen the leadership pipeline in nursing and midwifery—one that is not only timely but absolutely essential,” she remarked.
According to Madam Nagbe, the framework is part of Jhpiego’s broader initiative, Nurses Taking Our Seat, which is being implemented with financial support from the Health Carousel Foundation.
The initiative aims to amplify nurses’ and midwives’ roles in leadership by focusing on key pillars to include stewardship, education, association, advocacy, and technology.
With generous support from the Health Carousel Foundation, Jhpiego is implementing the Nurses Taking Our Seat initiative. It is designed to broaden the scope of nursing leadership through the pillars of stewardship, education, association, advocacy, and technology,” she explained.
She emphasized that the initiative is more than a program—it builds on the new nursing leadership competency framework and is a movement to empower nurses to transition from bedside caregivers to system influencers and policymakers.
“This effort positions nurses as strategic pillars in the health sector. It empowers them to take on meaningful leadership roles in health administration and governance,” Madam Nagbe said.
Madam Nagbe said the Nurse Leadership Toolkit will help nurses become active participants in national health dialogue, voicing challenges that impact access to healthcare services across the country.”
She further highlighted the urgent need to empower nurses not just as caregivers, but also as educators, advocates, and innovators.
“The future of our health system hinges on how well we empower ourselves today. Nurses and midwives are not only caregivers; we are leaders, educators, and advocates. And yes, we can lead—because we have the skills,” she affirmed.
To ensure broad-based validation and ownership of the framework, Jhpiego partnered with the Liberia Board of Nursing and Midwifery (LBNM).
The process brought together experienced nursing professionals, healthcare institutions, and other stakeholders who reviewed and provided technical feedback on the framework.
It also engaged key stakeholders in nursing leadership to ensure the toolkit is fit for purpose and widely accepted.
Cecelia Kpagbala-Flomo, Registrar of the LBNM, described the validation as a critical moment for the country’s health sector.
“It’s a remarkable achievement that we can gather to validate this leadership toolkit for nurses and nurse-midwives. Even more exciting is the fact that Liberia has been selected—thanks to Jhpiego’s efforts—as one of the first countries globally to carry out this important process,” Madam Flomo noted.
She emphasized that the toolkit is not merely a document but a transformational resource that will help reframe how nurses contribute to national and institutional leadership.
“The leadership toolkit marks a significant milestone for Liberia. The feedback generated during this validation exercise will be essential to improving health outcomes, not just in Liberia but potentially across the region,” she added.
According to Madam Flomo, Jhpiego’s ongoing commitment to strengthening healthcare systems through capacity building, policy engagement, and workforce development is making a profound impact on Liberia, especially in promoting leadership opportunities for frontline health workers across the Country.
The validation of the Leadership Toolkit for nurses and midwives was facilitated by visiting Jhpiego staff from Kenya, Rosemary Njura Njogu, a Jhpiego Regional Technical Advisor, who facilitated a structured review of the different modules of the toolkit.
Meanwhile participants at the two-day working session hailed the immense contributions of Jhpiego and partners to the Liberian health sector.
According to the participants knowledge gained from the validation and inputs made will go a long way in shaping health outcomes around the world especially in Liberia where nurses barely partake in leadership discussion.
“We thank our partner Jhpiego for allowing us to have our say in the global nursing leadership toolkit validation” They intoned.
The goal of the validation was to gather inputs from participants and enhance the leadership toolkit based on experience and insights.
