MCC Health Director Heads to Beijing for China-Led Urban Rescue Training to Strengthen Monrovia’s Disaster Response
BY: Rufus Divine Brooks Jr
MONROVIA – Monrovia City Corporation’s Director of Health and Social Services, Ms. Sayatta Kpadeh, has departed for Beijing to attend a two-week international training on urban search and rescue, as the city government pushes to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response capacity.
Kpadeh left Liberia on Monday, June 22, 2026 for Chaoyang District, Beijing, to participate in the “Seminar on Urban Search and Rescue Capacity Building for African Countries.”
The program is organized by the International Exchange and Cooperation Center of China’s Ministry of Emergency Management and brings together disaster responders from across Africa.
The MCC said Kpadeh was nominated under Lord Mayor John Charuk Siafa’s administration as part of its ongoing push for workforce development and international partnerships in public safety.
The seminar curriculum covers China’s national disaster management systems, the Belt and Road framework for disaster risk reduction, and the UN International Search and Rescue Advisory Group standards.
Practical modules include search operations, rope rescue, breaching, lifting, structural support, and obstacle removal.
Participants will also conduct study visits to China’s National Earthquake Response Support Service, the China Fire and Rescue Institute, and the Natural Disaster Engineering Rescue Center.
Additional field trips to disaster prevention agencies in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, are planned, along with cultural exchanges at sites including the Great Wall and Summer Palace.
The Lord Mayor’s office said the trip reflects its broader investment in employee training.
More than 20 MCC staff have already received specialized training at institutions including Harvard’s Bloomberg Center for Cities, Georgia Tech, the University of Pretoria, and programs in India, Japan, and Europe.
The administration also secured undergraduate and graduate scholarships in China for over 20 young Monrovia residents in 2025, who are currently studying at Chinese universities.
The International Exchange and Cooperation Center, which runs the seminar, is China’s accredited agency for short-term emergency management training.
In 2024 it trained over 1,000 professionals from 67 countries, and in 2025 it hosted 36 seminars for 1,044 participants from 86 countries.
The Monrovia City Corporation says, they remains committed to strengthening the technical and professional capacities of its workforce and fostering international partnerships that enhance service delivery, public safety, and disaster preparedness,” the MCC stated.