By: Saidu Jalloh
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr. Allieu Bakarr Conteh, has outlined the Ministry’s priorities for Fiscal Year 2027, with a focus on improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene across Sierra Leone.
Mr. Conteh made the disclosure on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during the Ministry’s bilateral budget discussions with the Ministry of Finance at the Miatta Civic Centre, Youyi Building, in Freetown.
The presentation formed part of the Ministry of Finance’s FY2027 bilateral budget discussions for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), held under the national theme, “Building Resilience to Create Jobs.”
In his presentation, the Permanent Secretary highlighted the Ministry’s policy, oversight and regulatory responsibilities in the water and sanitation sector, particularly its role in ensuring that its agencies deliver safe water and improved environmental sanitation services.
He also presented the Ministry’s key achievements during the first and second quarters of 2026 and outlined its strategic deliverables for 2027.
Among the priorities are improving household sanitation and hygiene practices, strengthening compliance with water and sanitation standards, increasing public awareness and promoting behavioural change on safe water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as encouraging water conservation.
Mr. Conteh also highlighted several challenges confronting the Ministry and appealed to the Ministry of Finance to review its current budget ceiling to provide adequate funding for its core priorities and enable it to effectively fulfil its institutional mandate.
Responding to questions from participants, the Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Ing. Francis Alpha Kallon explained that the Ministry is responsible for developing policies and supervising the water sector to improve nationwide water and sanitation services.
He noted that the Guma Valley Water Company and the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) are responsible for the primary operational delivery of water services to the public.
Ing. Kallon acknowledged the challenges facing the sector, stressing that sustainability is essential to the successful implementation of water projects.
He disclosed that the Ministry is currently developing plans to solarize water-sector infrastructure as part of efforts to improve the sustainability and reliability of water services across the country.
However, he stressed that severe budget constraints continue to affect the Ministry’s operations and called on the Ministry of Finance to provide increased funding to strengthen the sector.
“Water remains an absolute necessity above all else,” Ing. Kallon emphasized, while commending the Permanent Secretary and other senior staff for their resilience and commitment to delivering on the Ministry’s mandate.
Other senior officials of the Ministry also responded to questions and provided further explanations on issues raised during the budget presentation.