During a recent project monitoring visit to Bombali District, a high-level meeting hosted by the District Council and chaired by Council Chairman Dr. Mohamed Babah Sesay revealed stark realities about the fragile state of local service delivery; particularly in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
The meeting brought together representatives from the District Health Management Team (DHMT), the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, the District WASH Engineer, the Chief Administrator, and development partners including GOAL, WASHNet, BudgIT, Self Help Africa Nigeria, and IRC WASH, served as a critical forum for reflection and problem-solving.
One of the notable highlights was the value that stakeholders placed on Strengthening WASH Systems for Health projects, particularly the data emerging from Healthcare Facility Assessments conducted using the WASH FIT tool. These assessments are beginning to shift the way health facilities are managed, helping the DHMT and the Council to better plan and prioritize interventions based on evidence. Despite this momentum, a serious challenge remains; delayed and inadequate fund transfers from Central government to Local Councils.
Council officials disclosed that for the first and second quarters of 2025, no government subvention has been received. This gap in funding has forced the Bombali District Council to rely entirely on its own-source revenue to keep operations running. This includes not only administrative functions but also service delivery that directly impacts public health. The delay, they stressed, is stalling progress and weakening gains made through ongoing health and WASH initiatives.
The Council Chairman did not mince words: the failure of central government to deliver timely and predictable resources is crippling. Without sustained financing, the dream of strong WASH systems that support healthy communities will remain out of reach.
WASHNet, present at the meeting, was specifically called upon to scale up national-level advocacy. As the civil society convener in its WASH accountability drive, WASHNet has a mandate to amplify these local concerns and press for reform, ensuring local councils receive not only the timely and adequate funding but also the political and institutional backing needed to fulfil their responsibilities. The situation in Bombali is emblematic of broader systemic issues. Local governments across Sierra Leone are grappling with similar financing constraints, despite being tasked with implementing critical public health and infrastructure programs.
Let it be clear here; poor sanitation isn’t just a local issue, it’s a national one, and addressing it requires fixing the bottlenecks that prevent councils from functioning effectively. WASH-Net, together with its partners, commits to echoing the voices from Bombali. We urge central government actors to honour their financial commitments, strengthen inter-ministerial collaboration, and treat WASH financing as a non-negotiable pillar of health and development