Articles / WHO Leadership Programme: Health Transformation Training
Development, Training & CoachingExplore the WHO leadership programme for health transformation. Learn how this initiative develops leaders across Africa, Europe, and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Sat 10th January 2026
The WHO Leadership Programme—officially known as the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme—is the World Health Organization's flagship initiative for developing senior healthcare leaders, having trained over 250 senior WHO staff and 150 Ministry of Health officials across Africa, Europe, and Eastern Mediterranean regions since its 2018 inception, using a four-month blended learning approach combining face-to-face sessions, coaching, and virtual learning to create 'agile leaders for whom learning and self-reflection constitute their ways of working'. This programme shapes global health leadership.
What is the WHO leadership programme? This question matters for healthcare professionals seeking to develop their leadership capabilities through internationally recognised training. WHO's leadership programme represents the organisation's most comprehensive investment in building the leaders needed to transform health systems and improve population outcomes worldwide.
This guide examines the WHO leadership programme, helping healthcare professionals understand its structure, requirements, impact, and how to participate.
The flagship WHO initiative.
"The Leadership for Health Transformation Programme aims to provide the required high-level leadership and strategic support to senior leaders in the health sector to enable them to transform health outcomes in their countries."
Programme aims: - High-level leadership provision - Strategic support delivery - Health outcome transformation - Senior leader development - Country-level impact
"It focuses on nurturing a new breed of agile leaders for whom learning and self-reflection constitute their ways of working."
Philosophy elements: - Agile leader development - Continuous learning emphasis - Self-reflection focus - New leader breed - Working method transformation
"The programme seeks to increase personal and interpersonal awareness of health professionals, sharpen their analytical skills, and help them gain greater understanding of complex issues facing managers in implementing national health policies."
Skill areas:
| Skill Category | Development Focus |
|---|---|
| Personal awareness | Self-understanding |
| Interpersonal awareness | Relationship capability |
| Analytical skills | Critical thinking |
| Complexity navigation | Issue understanding |
| Policy implementation | Manager challenges |
From regional innovation to global reach.
"The holistic approach to leadership development was initially developed for WHO Africa Regional Office staff."
Origin elements: - WHO Africa development - Staff-focused beginning - Holistic approach - Regional innovation - Initial success
"Following its success, the Regional Committee of 2019 recommended that the program be extended to Member States, and was piloted in Congo in 2020."
Expansion timeline: 1. 2018: Programme inception 2. 2019: Regional Committee recommendation 3. 2020: Congo pilot 4. 2021-2022: Country expansion 5. 2023: Tri-regional collaboration
"Since its inception in 2018, the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme has empowered over 250 senior WHO staff from different regions, as well as more than 150 senior officials from the Ministries of Health in Congo, Benin, Ghana, Niger, and Lesotho."
Impact numbers:
| Metric | Achievement |
|---|---|
| WHO staff trained | 250+ |
| Ministry officials trained | 150+ |
| Countries served | 5+ |
| Years operating | Since 2018 |
Expanding global reach.
"A training held from 30 October to 2 November 2023 in Istanbul, spearheaded by the WHO Regional Office for Africa, brought together diverse experts from across the African, Eastern Mediterranean and European regional offices with a shared mission on strengthening health leadership."
Collaboration elements: - African Region leadership - European Region participation - Eastern Mediterranean involvement - Expert convergence - Shared mission
"In 2023, the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme was extended to other regions of the WHO and health ministries."
2023 expansion: - European Region cohort: 20 senior staff - Africa/Europe joint cohort: 23 senior staff - Africa/Europe WHO Representatives: 20 - Cross-regional learning - Shared development
"The EU has welcomed the increasing collaboration between the WHO Regional Office for Africa and the WHO Regional Office for Europe in areas including the Pathways to Leadership Programme, which aims to strengthen leadership capacities of staff in the Organization. This innovative Programme was developed and implemented as a key part of the AFRO Transformation."
Recognition significance: - EU endorsement - Inter-regional acknowledgement - Innovation recognition - Transformation contribution - Capacity strengthening
How the programme works.
The programme follows:
Structure elements: - Four-month duration - Blended learning approach - Face-to-face sessions - Coaching integration - Virtual components
Comprehensive development through:
Learning modes: 1. Face-to-face workshops 2. Individual coaching 3. Group coaching 4. Virtual sessions 5. Self-directed learning
Programmes organised by:
Cohort arrangements: - Regional cohorts - Cross-regional cohorts - Country-specific cohorts - Female-exclusive cohorts - WHO staff cohorts
How to join the programme.
"To participate, countries must send an official Expression of Interest to the WHO Head of Country Office from the Ministry of Health."
Application requirements: 1. Official Expression of Interest 2. Ministry of Health submission 3. WHO Country Office routing 4. Institutional commitment 5. Senior staff identification
"Enroll a minimum of 15 senior Ministry of Health staff per cohort."
Size requirements: - Minimum 15 participants - Senior staff level - Ministry of Health affiliation - Country representation - Cohort commitment
"Commit to fully participate in the four-month blended programme including face-to-face, coaching and virtual sessions."
Commitment elements: - Four-month duration - Full participation - All modalities - Session attendance - Learning completion
What participants learn.
Core development areas:
Competency focus: - Strategic thinking - Change leadership - Stakeholder engagement - Communication excellence - Decision-making
Individual growth areas:
Personal elements: - Self-awareness building - Emotional intelligence - Resilience development - Values clarification - Leadership identity
Critical capabilities:
Analytical focus: 1. Problem analysis 2. Data interpretation 3. Evidence evaluation 4. Decision frameworks 5. Strategic assessment
Contextual knowledge:
System focus: - Policy implementation - System complexity - Reform navigation - Stakeholder dynamics - Transformation enablers
Advancing female leadership.
"A second exclusive female staff cohort of the WHO Africa Pathways to Leadership Programme resulted in an increased percentage of female staff equipped with the requisite leadership competencies to effectively transform Africa's health from 38% in 2019 to 48% in 2022."
Gender impact:
| Year | Female Leadership % |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 38% |
| 2022 | 48% |
| Increase | 10 percentage points |
Programme gender focus:
Equity elements: - Female cohort priority - Leadership competency equity - Transformation capability - Career advancement - System impact
Advancing diversity:
Representation gains: - Increased female leadership - Regional diversity - Country representation - Role diversity - Perspective breadth
Impact and results.
Personal growth outcomes:
Individual gains: - Enhanced self-awareness - Improved analytical skills - Strengthened leadership - Expanded networks - Career advancement
System-level outcomes:
Organisational outcomes: 1. Leadership capacity building 2. Policy implementation improvement 3. Reform acceleration 4. Team development 5. Culture transformation
Broader impact:
System outcomes: - Improved governance - Enhanced service delivery - Better health outcomes - Strengthened capacity - Sustainable improvement
Complementary initiatives.
Harvard partnership:
Programme features: - Eastern Mediterranean focus - Harvard collaboration - Public health emphasis - Senior official development - Regional impact
WHO Academy offering:
Course features: - 80-hour duration - Digital delivery - PHC focus - Certification - Global access
Regional initiative:
Course features: - University of Bordeaux partnership - European focus - Public health professionals - Competency building - Regional networking
Specialised development:
Course features: - Workforce focus - Government official target - System resilience - Regional delivery - Policy application
How to participate.
Engage through:
Contact channels: - WHO Country Office - Ministry of Health - Regional WHO offices - Programme coordinators - Partner institutions
Submit application:
EOI elements: 1. Institutional endorsement 2. Participant identification 3. Commitment statement 4. Cohort size confirmation 5. Contact details
Plan participation:
Planning elements: - Four-month commitment - Session scheduling - Travel requirements - Work integration - Learning application
The WHO leadership programme, officially called the Pathways to Leadership for Health Transformation Programme, is WHO's flagship initiative for developing senior healthcare leaders. Since 2018, it has trained over 250 senior WHO staff and 150 Ministry of Health officials across Africa, Europe, and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
The WHO leadership programme runs for four months using a blended learning approach. It combines face-to-face sessions, individual and group coaching, and virtual learning components. Participants must commit to full participation across all modalities throughout the programme duration.
The WHO leadership programme serves senior WHO staff and Ministry of Health officials. For country cohorts, Ministries must submit an official Expression of Interest through WHO Country Offices and enrol a minimum of 15 senior staff per cohort with commitment to full programme participation.
The WHO leadership programme develops personal and interpersonal awareness, analytical skills, and understanding of complex policy implementation challenges. It focuses on creating agile leaders through strategic thinking, change leadership, stakeholder engagement, and self-reflection practices.
The WHO leadership programme has trained over 400 leaders since 2018 across multiple regions and countries. It has increased female leadership competencies from 38% to 48% in WHO Africa through dedicated female cohorts. The programme has expanded from Africa to include European and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
Apply for the WHO leadership programme by submitting an official Expression of Interest from your Ministry of Health to the WHO Head of Country Office. Confirm minimum cohort size of 15 senior staff and commitment to full four-month programme participation including all face-to-face, coaching, and virtual sessions.
The WHO leadership programme is unique because it focuses on creating agile leaders through learning and self-reflection, uses comprehensive blended learning over four months, includes coaching alongside training, serves both WHO staff and Ministry officials, and has proven tri-regional reach and impact.