By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma
Senior Health Promotion Officer, Health Education Programme – Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health has launched a three-day workshop to initiate the development of a National Health Information Hub (NHIH) — a landmark step toward transforming Sierra Leone’s health data systems from fragmented, paper-based reporting into a unified, real-time digital platform that supports evidence-based decision-making.
Opening the event, Deputy Minister I, Professor Charles Senessie, emphasized the urgent need to transition from manual to digital reporting systems to improve health planning, service delivery, and accountability.
“This initiative marks a milestone in strengthening the country’s health intelligence capacity,” Prof. Senessie stated.
Senior Permanent Secretary, Mr. Andrew L. Sorie, described digital transformation as essential for ensuring efficiency, transparency, and scalability in the health sector.
Meanwhile, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Dr. Patricia Bah, highlighted the indispensable role of nurses and midwives in data generation and analysis. She called for their inclusion in all digital health initiatives, noting that frontline health workers are critical to the success of national data systems.
In his remarks, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Sciences, Dr. Mustapha S. Kabba, underscored the importance of national data ownership and the establishment of an independent health intelligence system. Echoing this, Director of Policy, Planning, and Information, Dr. Tom Sesay, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to data-driven decision-making as a foundation for health sector reform.
Day One of the workshop featured a series of technical presentations reviewing the current state of health information systems and setting priorities for the NHIH initiative.
Madam Regina Samuels, Digital Health Coordinator, provided an overview of progress and persistent challenges within Sierra Leone’s digital health ecosystem. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Mr. Nelson Fofanah, detailed ongoing issues of manual reporting and data quality gaps at the facility level.
To address these challenges, Digital Health Advisor, Dr. Inibong Ekong, introduced the National Digital Health Enterprise Architecture — a technical framework designed to ensure interoperability among all health information systems in the country.
However, ICT Manager, Mr. Capri-Lonko Koroma, presented findings from a recent eReadiness Assessment, revealing that only 50% of health facilities currently have access to reliable electricity, posing a major infrastructural barrier to digital implementation.
The three-day workshop brings together policymakers, health information officers, digital health experts, and development partners to design a roadmap for the establishment of the National Health Information Hub, a system that aims to enhance data reliability, accessibility, and timeliness across Sierra Leone’s health sector.
