In Sierra Leone, health research is governed by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), which has several directorates. There is currently no formal health research or research institute in the country. The majority
of research for health projects are small and uncoordinated, and typically driven by external donors. The Monitoring & Evaluation Unit’s Statistic Sierra Leone, within the Directorate of Planning & Information, for example, is linked to several donors conducting research in the country, but has no formal ties to the Health Research Unit within the Directorate of Training, Non-Communicable Diseases and Research. Informal coordination of research for health has been improved by the formation of the Health & Biomedical Research Group of Sierra Leone (HBiomedSL) by a group of researchers interested in connecting with individuals involved in conducting research for health across the country. In addition, the Directorate of Training, Non-Communicable Diseases and Research, established with its own health research unit in the MOHS in 2008, is expected to contribute to greater coordination of national research for health.
