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The Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) and Food System Coordination Unit in the Office of the Vice President has convened a high-level meeting to promote nutrition-responsive budgeting among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). The session, held at the Tower Hill Conference Room in Freetown, focused on integrating nutrition priorities into Sierra Leone’s 2026 national budget.
The engagement brought together budgeting officers to review national nutrition commitments, share updates on sectoral allocations, and explore strategies to improve financial planning for nutrition programs.
Franklyn Belmoh, Programme Officer at SUN, outlined Sierra Leone’s progress since joining the global SUN Movement in 2012, highlighting reduced rates of low birth weight (from 15.3% in 2010 to 14.4%) and child stunting (from 32.7% to 26.2%). He emphasized the Secretariat’s restructuring in 2024, which expanded its scope to include food systems coordination.
Key nutrition commitments reaffirmed at the session included:
Expanding access to safe and affordable food
Promoting diverse, locally produced diets
Increasing access to family planning services
Scaling up domestic investment in nutrition initiatives
Opening the session, Edward A. Ngaugah, Assistant to the Secretary to the Vice President, encouraged collective action to strengthen nutrition outcomes. Mathew Beah from the Office of the Vice President introduced the Core Nutrition Financing Team, aimed at institutionalizing nutrition budgeting.
UNICEF representative Dr. Vandana Joshi commended the government’s efforts but called for concrete action to ensure that nutrition measures are adequately funded. Presentations by UNICEF experts provided MDAs with tools for identifying cost-effective, high-impact nutrition interventions.
National SUN Coordinator Madam Neneba Jalloh chaired the session and pledged continued support to MDAs as they integrate nutrition considerations into planning and financial frameworks. Participants stressed the importance of capacity building and sustained engagement to meet national nutrition targets.
The initiative reflects Sierra Leone’s broader effort to align fiscal policy with health and food security priorities, ensuring that progress in nutrition is matched by consistent budgetary support.
