Sierra Leone Health Ministry Puts Five-Year Sector Overhaul at $2 Billion
Osman Tolo Sesay Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health has estimated that it will need about $2.054 billion to implement its health-sector strategy between 2026 and 2030, as officials seek to address persistent financing and service-delivery gaps.
The estimate was presented during the government’s FY2027 budget discussions, where Senior Health Economist Nathaniel Soloku outlined the scale of financing required to implement the ministry’s medium-term health priorities. A September 23 report by Awoko also put the cost of the 2026-2030 health strategy at $2.054 billion.
Soloku said projected health spending per person would range from $40.30 to $58 during the period, remaining below the $86 benchmark referenced by the ministry. He said increasing investment would be important to expanding access to health services and improving the quality of care.
The figures provided for the five-year plan amount to approximately $2.054 billion when combined: 338.7 million for 2026, 462.7 million for 2027, 406.9 million for 2028, 400.1 million for 2029 and 445.2 million for 2030.
The ministry’s proposed approach is built around five strategic areas: strengthening health-system inputs and investment; expanding integrated services across the life course; improving health security and intelligence; raising system performance; and strengthening collaboration between sectors.
The proposed investment comes as the ministry seeks additional funding for health services under the FY2027 budget process. In separate budget discussions, the ministry requested NLe341.27 million in recurrent funding for 2027, compared with a Ministry of Finance ceiling of NLe153.30 million. It also presented NLe263.57 million in capital expenditure requirements.
The World Health Organization has previously supported Sierra Leone’s development of a 2026-2030 Health Sector Strategic Plan aimed at advancing universal health coverage and strengthening national health security.
The five-year financing plan is intended to support improvements in health infrastructure, human resources and service delivery as Sierra Leone works to build a more resilient health system.