By: Isatu Yollah Bangura- Intern
The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has engaged Vice-Chancellors and Principals of universities across Sierra Leone on key reforms aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and service delivery in the country’s higher education sector.
The engagement, held on 20 August 2026 at the MTHE Conference Room, Sababu Building, New England Ville, focused on several key areas, including centralized admissions, National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUS) constitutional reforms, secure production of academic certificates, WanGov digital payments, research development and stronger partnerships between universities and industry.
Speaking at the meeting, the Senior Permanent Secretary of MTHE, Sheick Kargbo, said the engagement formed part of the Ministry’s regular consultations with higher education institutions under the sector’s performance contracts. He encouraged university leaders to identify challenges within the sector and work with the Ministry to develop practical solutions.
The Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, called for stronger collaboration between the ministry and university leadership. She highlighted plans to introduce secure local production of academic certificates, digital fee payments through WanGov, a centralized admissions system, and stronger research and industry-linked programmes.
Dr. Wurie also disclosed that Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has offered to deploy eight technical officers to Sierra Leone for 12 months to provide technical support for the implementation of the centralized admissions system.
The Government Printer and Managing Director, Salifu L. Suma, said the Government Printing Department has the capacity to produce secure academic certificates locally. He noted that the department, established as the first printing department in British West Africa, can incorporate security features such as QR codes, ultraviolet (UV) ink, watermarks, micro-printing, security threads and embossing to prevent counterfeiting.
Dugba Kenneh, Chief Technology Officer of Korlin Ltd, operators of WanGov, explained that the platform will enable students and sponsors to make and track payments digitally. He said integrating WanGov with university systems would improve payment verification, transparency and accountability.
Providing an update on the activities of the National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUS), the Director of Higher Education, Emmanuel J. Momoh Esq., said the union is set to review its constitution to establish clearer guidelines for leadership and the conduct of future elections.
The meeting reaffirmed MTHE’s commitment to digital transformation, secure certificate production, improved admissions, research development and stronger governance across Sierra Leone’s higher education sector.
The engagement concluded with the signing of performance contracts between the Minister and heads of various universities, aimed at ensuring the implementation and monitoring of key deliverables.