As France Pumps €8m Into Health Decentralization Dive
Monrovia, Liberia – A comprehensive Leadership, Management, and Governance Decentralization (LMGD) Policy for the health sector has been formally presented by the Government of Liberia with the backing of a €8 million investment from the Republic of France. This will bring decision-making power closer to communities and improve accountability across all 15 counties.
On Monday, March 2, 2026, senior government representatives, county superintendents, development partners, and members of civil society attended the high-level launch. It was heralded as the beginning of a national reform aimed at building a stronger and more autonomous health system.
The LMGD Framework offers a cogent policy and operational architecture to promote enhanced leadership, managerial capability, and decentralized decision-making within the health sector. It was created through an inclusive and consultative process. Additionally, the framework represents a significant turning point in Liberia’s endeavor to pursue universal health care and consolidate health sector changes.
Speaking at the event, Liberia’s Health Minister Dr. Louise M. Kpoto praised the framework as a “commitment to reform” intended to improve service delivery at the national, county, district, and facility levels, strengthen coordination, and clarify roles.
According to her, the initiative aligns with Liberia’s National Health Policy and the Local Governance Act. It was developed by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Local Government with support from French partners. In order to ensure that decentralization moves from theory to practice, the Minister stated that it provides a comprehensive operational toolset that includes management concepts, standard operating procedures, and implementation strategies.
The LMGD policy, Implementation strategy, Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), and Operational Guidelines are the four core documents that make up the LMGD Framework, according to Liberia’s Health Minister. An inclusive, Liberian-led approach was used to generate these documents. She claims that when taken as a whole, they offer a cohesive framework for improving health governance at all levels, from the national to the local.
The French ambassador to Liberia, Amb. E. Isabelle Le Guellec, emphasized the government’s sustained dedication to the country’s health system, pointing out that health continues to be one of the three pillars of France’s cooperation policy there.
“France is investing €8 million through ongoing projects to strengthen financial governance, improve leadership coordination, and improve midwife and health manager training,” she said.
According to Amb. Guellec, in addition to providing funds, French technical assistance is helping the Ministry of Health optimize its Global Fund awards and strengthen its financial management systems.
The framework is the outcome of 10 months of collaborative work under the direction of Liberian ownership, according to Bijay Bharati, Project Manager, Expertise France. Among other things, he discussed the Evidence Base examination that MOH technical teams and Expertise France carried out from January to May 2025 in 25 health facilities, six districts, three hospitals, and three county health teams.
According to Eliot Sotty, AFD Representative in Liberia, the Liberian government will concentrate on implementing the framework throughout counties and healthcare facilities after the national dissemination, incorporating the LMGD tools into regular planning, training, and supervision mechanisms.
“The dissemination of this new framework is a key milestone in strengthening the resilience of the national health system I Liberia. It will enhance coordination over the long term, from health facilities to the Ministry of Health and thereby improve health outcome in an inclusive manner for the Liberian population,” Sotty added.
Superintendents and local officials, however, have vowed to support the implementation, stating that it is essential to lowering maternal and newborn mortality and bolstering the nation’s ability to respond to significant pandemics.
The launch concluded with a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony, signaling the formal operationalization of the LNGD framework, an effort both Liberia and France say is aimed at placing every Liberian at the center of care through stronger, decentralized governance.
Reported by: Prince Saah
