For the first time in fifteen years, Sierra Leone has sucessfully completed the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Health Ministers of ECOWAS in Freetown, demonstrating a solid commitment of regional collaboration to address Africa’s healthcare challenges. Organized by the Ministry of Health and the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), under the theme “Advancing malaria elimination through an integrated regional approach,” the high-level meeting highlights the country’s leadership role in advancing healthcare on the continent.
The five-days conference brought together over 500 delegates from the West Africa sub-region, including health ministers, partners, experts and obsevers, to reflect on and shape the future of healthcare for Africans. “The Government of Sierra Leone is extremely proud to have hosted this prestigious event,” said Dr. Austin Demby, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health and Chairman of the ECOWAS Health Ministers Assembly. He continued; “our country now needs to leverage on the lessons learnt during this conference and improve on the health of our people.” Minister Demby stressed that successfully hosting a regional gathering of this magnitude is a reflection of Sierra Leone’s dedication to human capital development and the well-being of African citizens.
Declaring the Ministerial session and official opening of the conference, the climax of the 27th Ordinary Session, the country’s Chief Minister, Dr. David Sengeh, echoed sentiments that citizens expect results. “Our governments must deliver on promises made to our people, especially in rural communities where the true test of our systems lies,” he said. He noted that Sierra Leone’s recent success in vaccinating 1.1 million girls against HPV in just ten days, illustrated how coordinated, data-driven systems can save lives.
He appealed to ministers and other delegates to translate commitments into action. “The true measure of this session will be in what we implement. Our credibility hinges on closing the gap between promises and delivery,” Dr. Sengeh emphasized. The Chief Minister also announced Sierra Leone’s proposal for the Freetown Charter, which aims to leverage digital tools and artificial intelligence to accelerate health progress across the region.
Speaking on the subject of malaria as theme of this year’s convening, the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, highlighted persistent challenges faced in controlling the disease across Africa as a failure of systems. He said that although Sierra Leone has made notable strides, including a 27 percent reduction in malaria cases among children under five from 2019 to 2023 and an 89 percent decline in inpatient malaria deaths among children.
On his part, Director General (DG) of WAHO, Dr. Malchior Athanase Sissi, stressed the significance of implementing major outcomes of the conference, particularly on malaria control. The DG of WAHO said that the fight against malaria is at a critical crossroad and that elimination of the disease now requires strategic regional collaboration. “Malaria continues to impose heavy burden on health systems and economies at both national and household levels,” he stated.
As the high-level ministerial health conference ends in Freetown, key take aways for the outgoing WAHO DG include prioriting continent-wide public health financing initiatives, in-depth review of healthcare progress, identification of persistent gaps in malaria elimination; all of which are expected to guide coordinated action to strengthen surveillance and improve service delivery. The ministers concluded with key decisions and adopted the WAHO 2025 Annual Report alongside the Regional Malaria Elimination Framework, as well as reports from the Health experts across member states.
Morning Walk on World Malaria Day
As part of activities marking the end of this very crucial conference, the Minister of Health for Sierra Leone and his colleagues, along with the DG of WAHO, had a very exciting morning walk to mark the commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day. After the exercise, Dr. Demby stressed the urgency of eliminating malaria. “We are on a journey to eliminate malaria and this journey requires a strong regional effort to win.”
Prior to the malaria walk, Minister Demby and the DG of WAHO shared insecticide treated bed nets to school children of the Aberdeen Municipal Primary School as a a symbolic gesture that reaffirms the government’s commitment to eradicating the disease particularly among the most vulnerable group.
In a heartfelt engagement with the pupils, Minister Demby spotlighted the critical role of young people in shaping Sierra Leone’s future. He was deeply touched by the strong desire of the children to serve as medical professionals. “Your ambition to become doctors, nurses, scientists, lab technicians and leaders in the health sector is inspiring,” he told the children. “But to achieve your dreams, you must stay healthy. And staying healthy starts with protecting you from malaria,” Dr. Demby concluded.
For more on this event, watch the video below.