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Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, has revealed that more than 620,000 women are now using modern contraceptives, a remarkable increase from 280,000 in 2012.
Speaking at a high-level strategy session on “Powering Progress for Family Planning and Reproductive Health” hosted by the United Nations Foundation during the 80th UN General Assembly (#UNGA80), Dr. Demby emphasized Sierra Leone’s progress in reproductive health and its broader impact on maternal and child survival.
He highlighted that the rise in contraceptive use has already prevented 230,000 unintended pregnancies, 85,000 unsafe abortions, and 740 maternal deaths. The Minister also reported that the modern contraceptive prevalence rate has grown to 27.4%, while demand satisfaction stands at 59.1% significant indicators of Sierra Leone’s progress under President Julius Maada Bio’s leadership and the country’s commitment to the FP2030 agenda.
Dr. Demby underscored the government’s adoption of the life stages approach, an innovative model designed to provide integrated health services tailored to each stage of life.
He stressed that this framework is central to Sierra Leone’s roadmap for achieving universal health coverage and zero preventable maternal deaths.
Calling for stronger global collaboration, the Health Minister urged international partners to align support with Sierra Leone’s priorities, close critical financing gaps, and reinforce sustainable systems for family planning and reproductive health.
The session was attended by senior leaders from FP2030, the Global Financing Facility, Engender Health, the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, and other global health partners, who explored ways to scale up financing, strengthen collaboration, and accelerate progress toward 2030 targets.
