The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has engaged Vice-Chancellors and Principals of universities and other higher education institutions on key reforms aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and service delivery across Sierra Leone’s higher education sector.
The engagement, held on August 20, 2026, at the MTHE Conference Room at the Sababu Building in New England Ville, Freetown, focused on a range of reforms, including centralised admissions, National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUS) constitutional reforms, secure local production of academic certificates, digital fee payments through WanGov, research development and stronger partnerships between universities and industry.
Senior Permanent Secretary of the MTHE, Sheick Kargbo, said the engagement formed part of the Ministry’s regular consultations with higher education institutions under the sector’s performance contract.
He urged university leaders and other stakeholders to use the engagement to identify challenges within the sector and develop practical solutions to improve institutional performance and service delivery.
Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, called for stronger collaboration between the Ministry and university leadership to advance ongoing reforms.
She highlighted plans to strengthen the production of secure academic certificates locally, expand digital fee payments through WanGov, introduce a centralised university admissions system and promote research programmes linked to industry needs.
Dr. Wurie also disclosed that Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has offered to deploy technical officers to Sierra Leone for 12 months to provide technical support for the implementation of the centralised admissions system.
The Government Printer and Managing Director, Salifu L. Suma, said the Government Printing Department has the technical capacity to produce secure academic certificates locally.
He noted that the department, established as the first printing department in British West Africa, can incorporate multiple security features into certificates, including QR codes, ultraviolet (UV) ink, watermarks, micro-printing, security threads and embossing.
Meanwhile, Dugba Kenneh, Chief Technology Officer of Korlin Ltd, the company behind WanGov, explained that the digital platform would enable students and sponsors to make and track payments electronically.
He said integrating WanGov with university management systems would also improve payment verification, transparency and accountability within higher education institutions.
Providing an update on the activities of the National Union of Sierra Leone Students (NUS), Director of Higher Education Emmanuel J. Momoh, Esq., disclosed that the union is set to review its constitution.
According to him, the review is intended to provide clearer guidelines on leadership structures and the conduct of future NUS elections.
The engagement reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to digitalising higher education services, strengthening governance, improving university admissions, enhancing the security of academic certificates and promoting research and industry partnerships.
The meeting concluded with the signing of performance contracts between the Minister and heads of the various universities, aimed at ensuring the implementation and monitoring of key deliverables across the higher education sector.
