By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Freetown, July 23, 2026: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to safeguard and expand public investment in children, warning that fiscal consolidation must not come at the expense of essential social services.
The appeal was made during the presentation of the 2026 Budget Briefs at the Ministry of Finance in Freetown, an event attended by senior government officials, Budget Bureau staff, and development partners.
UNICEF’s Findings
Presenting the findings, UNICEF Representative Mariko Kagoshima said the Budget Briefs place children at the centre of national budget discussions by assessing how public spending affects health, education, nutrition, water, sanitation, and social protection.
She commended Government for reducing the projected fiscal deficit to 2.2 percent of GDP in 2026 and strengthening domestic revenue mobilization despite global challenges. However, she cautioned that debt servicing continues to consume a significant share of public resources – about 29 percent of the national budget and 39 percent of domestic revenue.
“Projected public debt spending in 2026 stands at approximately SLE 8.6 billion—six times the health budget and more than twice the allocation to education,” Kagoshima noted, stressing the need to protect fiscal space for programmes that directly improve children’s well-being.
Key Recommendations
UNICEF proposed three major steps:
- Protect core social spending – Ensure fiscal reforms do not undermine immunization, maternal and newborn healthcare, nutrition, safe learning environments, WASH in schools, child protection services, and support for vulnerable families.
- Strengthen child-sensitive social protection – Expand existing programmes and explore a child grant under the National Social Protection Strategy (2022–2026) to shield children from poverty, inflation, food insecurity, and climate shocks.
- Improve public financial management – Enhance decentralization and budget execution to ensure funds are released on time, spent as planned, and translated into quality services for children nationwide.
Responding on behalf of the Government, Financial Secretary Matthew Dingie welcomed the Budget Briefs, describing them as an important tool for evidence-based policymaking. He said the recommendations align with Government’s commitment to strengthening investment in education, health, child protection, and other social sectors.
“We are going to work with your three recommendations, UNICEF, and ensure that they are given the necessary attention as we continue to strengthen our efforts towards improving public finance for children,” Dingie said.
He emphasized the importance of domestic revenue mobilization and prudent financial management to reduce reliance on donor funding and ensure sustainable investment in children. Dingie added that continued collaboration with UNICEF and other partners would advance child-focused budgeting and improve service delivery across Sierra Leone.