By: Mamajah Jalloh
The National Medical Supplies Agency (NMSA) has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to treat financing for the health supply chain as a strategic investment to ensure the sustainable availability of essential medicines and medical commodities across the country.
The call was made during the ongoing 2027 Financial Year Budget Hearing organised by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown.
Presenting the NMSA’s budget and financing outlook, Managing Director Madam Jatu Josephine Abdulai outlined key priorities, including the operationalization of the 0.05 percent levy on government contracts to support the procurement of Free Healthcare Initiative commodities.
She also highlighted the need to strengthen the Cost Recovery Scheme as a sustainable mechanism for continuous commodity replenishment, while leveraging donor matching funds to maximize government investment and attract additional resources from development partners.
Other priorities include completing the pharmaceutical-grade warehouse at Kerry Town to strengthen national storage capacity and preparing for the 2027 financing outlook, particularly in anticipation of changes in donor support for medicines and health commodities.
“We therefore need to look at financing not simply as an annual allocation, but as an investment in a system that can generate sustainable results,” Abdulai stated.
She stressed that sustainable financing, increased government investment, strategic partnerships and innovative financing mechanisms will be critical to building a resilient and reliable health commodity supply chain in Sierra Leone.
The NMSA’s budget proposal received positive consideration from stakeholders during the hearing, with a recommendation for its approval through the relevant budgetary processes.