By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
On Saturday, September 27, 2025, the Ministry of Sports formally presented its Strategic Plan and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the 2026–2028 fiscal years to the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry made a strong appeal for increased funding to support inclusive and sustainable sports development across Sierra Leone.
The presentation, held at the Ministry of Finance in Freetown, was led by Director of Sports Haroun Koijie. He provided a comprehensive review of the Ministry’s performance in 2024 and the first half of 2025, highlighting major achievements while also addressing ongoing challenges related to funding and logistics that continue to hinder effective service delivery.
“We are not a revenue-generating body,” Koijie stated. “Our role is to coordinate and supervise sports through the National Sports Authority, but without the necessary resources, progress will always be delayed.”
One of the key logistical challenges highlighted by Director Koijie was the lack of official vehicles for both himself and the Permanent Secretary, which impedes their ability to conduct field supervision and monitor activities nationwide.
Despite these challenges, the Ministry has recorded several significant successes. These include the Sierra Leone U-16 Male Basketball Team’s silver medal win at the FIBA Africa Zone 2 Tournament in Senegal in January 2025, which earned the team a spot in the upcoming FIBA Nations Cup in Rwanda later this month.
Minister of Sports Madam Augusta James-Teima, in her opening remarks, praised the transparency of the budgeting process and made a passionate plea to the Ministry of Finance.
“Sports is not just recreation. It is a powerful tool for youth empowerment, national unity, and international recognition,” she said. “We are requesting NLe 8,281,600 to scale up our interventions, including the recruitment of 20 additional staff members to strengthen monitoring and supervision.”
The Ministry’s strategic goals for the 2026–2028 period include enacting six new sports policies and regulations. Recruiting and training ten additional sports officers. Expanding supervision of school and university sports. Monitoring sports development funds across all 22 local councils.
Director Koijie also revealed that while the Ministry proposed NLe 9.76 million for 2025, only NLe 5.5 million was approved. As of September 2025, only NLe 1.89 million had been disbursed. He emphasized that such shortfalls severely limit the Ministry’s ability to meet its targets.
The Ministry’s appeal received strong support from civil society organizations, non-state actors, the District Budget Oversight Committee, and members of the media, all of whom urged the Ministry of Finance to prioritize sports in the national budget.