Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, has presented the country’s investment case for maternal, newborn and child health at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York.
Dr. Demby made the case on September 21, 2026, during a high-level ministerial working session of the Global Leaders Network (GLN) Financial Diplomacy Series, held at the Harvard Club in New York.
The session was co-hosted by the GLN, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), and the Centre for Global Health Diplomacy (CGHD)/Women’s Health and Equity Network (WHEN).
It brought together Ministers of Health and Finance from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya and South Africa, as well as development finance institutions, philanthropies and international partners from South Korea, Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
Dr. Demby focused his presentation on translating Sierra Leone’s health priorities, particularly the country’s campaign to achieve zero preventable maternal and child deaths, into sustainable financing and measurable results.
He highlighted the government’s 300 Days of Activism campaign, which targets three key outcomes: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable child deaths and zero-dose children.
According to Dr. Demby, Sierra Leone is seeking to move from traditional aid dependency towards results-based investment in the health sector.
He said the Ministry of Health is using real-time, location-based data to track pregnancies and identify mothers and babies who need life-saving health services, while also measuring the results of interventions.
“We are not just asking for investment. We are showing the return on that investment in the lives we save,” Dr. Demby said.
The discussions also focused on financing for health, local manufacturing of vaccines and essential medical commodities, strengthening the health workforce and transitioning to clean energy to support resilient health service delivery.
Participants from the different countries shared experiences and explored new approaches to financing healthcare and sustaining investments in maternal, newborn and child health.