Monrovia, Liberia – Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has declared a large increase in government health spending. The sector’s allocation has increased to US$110 million in the 2026 national budget, a 21 percent increase meant to enhance healthcare services and expand access countrywide.
Speaking at the regional launch of the World Bank Group Health, Nutrition, and Population Strategy in Accra, Ghana, with the theme “Fit to Prosper,” Minister Ngafuan said that as part of its broader agenda for human capital development, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration is deliberately placing a high priority on health financing.
He added that Liberia’s health budget has grown steadily, from US$80.3 million in 2024 to US$91.3 million in 2025 before reaching the present US$110 million allotment for FY2026, indicating what he called a solid policy commitment to increasing fiscal space for the sector. The revelation was made by Ngafuan at a high-level ministerial panel on “Fixing Finance,” where the focus was on increasing public spending’s scale and efficiency to guarantee sustainable development outcomes.
He also emphasized notable progress in budget execution, pointing out that health sector disbursement rates rose from 70% in 2023 to 88% in 2024 and then to 97.7% in 2025, indicating better coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health as well as stronger public financial management.
Targeted spending evaluations and a deliberate “deep dive” interaction with the Ministry of Health, according to the Finance Minister, helped identify spending bottlenecks and produced an implementation compact intended to speed up resource utilization and enhance service delivery.
Additionally, Ngafuan recognized that investments in roads, sanitation, and power are crucial cornerstones of an efficient health system and that better healthcare outcomes depend not simply on direct health financing. As a concrete example, he cited the Jackson F. Doe Memorial Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita, where better road connection has increased patient access, hospital traffic, and operational efficiency.
By addressing service delivery gaps, enhancing resilience, and increasing equitable access to healthcare, the World Bank’s “Fit to Prosper” strategy aims to improve health systems throughout Western and Central Africa while learning from COVID-19 and prior financial programs.
As a way to promote universal health coverage throughout the region, the Accra summit gathered together policy leaders, development partners, finance ministers, and health ministers to discuss innovative financing techniques and domestic resource mobilization. Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, the Minister of Health for Liberia, was present at the function with Minister Ngafuan.
Reported by: Prince Saah
