By Lewis S. Teh
Accra, Ghana, May 7, 2026 — Liberia’s Finance Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan announced significant strides in health sector financing under the Boakai administration, highlighting both increased budget allocations and improved execution rates that are enhancing service delivery across the country.
Speaking at the World Bank Group’s regional launch of the “Fit to Prosper” Health, Nutrition, and Population Strategy in Accra, Ngafuan emphasized Liberia’s ongoing commitment to expanding fiscal space for health.
He reported that health sector funding has grown steadily, with allocations rising from $80.3 million in 2024 to $91.3 million in 2025 and reaching $110 million in fiscal year 2026 — a 21% year-on-year increase.
Budget execution rates have also improved significantly. Ngafuan revealed that disbursement rates jumped from 70% in 2023 to 88% in 2024 and now stand at an impressive 97.7% for 2025. He attributed these gains to rigorous expenditure reviews and enhanced coordination between the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Health.
A focused engagement at the Ministry of Health led to an implementation compact aimed at clearing bottlenecks, accelerating fund utilization, and improving service delivery outcomes.
Participating in the high-level “Fixing Finance” panel moderated by Anita Erskine, Ngafuan joined Ghana’s NHIA CEO Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe and Senegal’s former Health Minister Prof. Awa Marie Coll-Seck. The panel underscored the importance of increasing both the scale and efficiency of public spending to achieve sustainable health outcomes.
Ngafuan also highlighted the role of infrastructure in health system performance, citing the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital. Upgraded road connectivity to Tappita has improved patient access and service efficiency, further strengthening health delivery.
The “Fit to Prosper” strategy seeks to bolster health systems across Western and Central Africa by closing service gaps, building resilience, and expanding equitable access, drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and previous financing efforts.
Health Minister Dr. Louise M. Kpoto attended the Accra launch with Ngafuan. The event brought together finance and health ministers, development partners, and policy leaders to align innovative financing, domestic resource mobilization, and results-driven investments to accelerate universal health coverage and human capital outcomes.
