By George M.O Williams
Freetown, February 14, 2025 – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Ministry of Health, the National AIDS Secretariat, UNAIDS, and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) have launched the National Strategy for Condom Programming, a comprehensive initiative aimed at increasing access to and utilization of condoms, particularly among young people and underserved communities.
The launch event, held at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, coincided with International Condom Day.
The strategy focuses on four key areas: increasing condom accessibility and utilization, enhancing demand through education and awareness, strengthening supply chain management, and reducing stigma while addressing misconceptions about condom use. Officials emphasized that this initiative is essential in preventing unintended pregnancies, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Deputy Minister of Health, Prof. Dr. Senessie, acknowledged Sierra Leone’s ongoing challenges in addressing STIs and expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts of all partners involved. He highlighted the country’s low condom usage rates—less than 5% among women and 20% among men—as a call for urgent action to improve availability and accessibility. He also stressed the need for condom customization to encourage greater acceptability and use.
Dr. Senessie further outlined the strategy’s objectives, including improving coordination, boosting demand, strengthening supply chain systems, and enhancing data collection for policy development over the next five years. He urged continued engagement and digital access to the strategy, reinforcing the government’s commitment to safeguarding future generations through informed sexual health choices.
UNFPA Representative Sebeso Lumuma reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring reproductive health supplies and tackling a US$4.4 million funding gap for the strategy’s full implementation.
She emphasized that despite condoms being safe, affordable, and effective, their consistent use remains a challenge, especially among marginalized communities. Lumuma highlighted the strategy’s comprehensive approach, integrating education, awareness, and community engagement to promote informed condom use. She also outlined UNFPA’s commitments, including strengthening reproductive health supply chains, expanding access to youth-friendly reproductive health services, empowering young people with knowledge, and advocating for increased investments in family planning and condom programming.
She stressed that the strategy’s success depends on collective action from the government, development partners, the private sector, and young people while calling for an end to the stigma surrounding condom use.
Director General of the National AIDS Secretariat, Abdul Raheem Sesay, praised the collaborative efforts behind the strategy’s development, noting that it was created through extensive consultations with multi-sectoral partners, including civil society and the private sector.
He acknowledged initial challenges in drafting the document but commended the final version as a comprehensive and effective framework.
Sesay also recognized the support from UNFPA and UNAIDS in strengthening HIV and STI prevention efforts and emphasized the importance of continued dialogue to ensure the successful implementation of the strategy.
UNAIDS Country Representative Jane Kalweo highlighted the urgency of intensifying HIV prevention efforts as the global community approaches the 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
She stressed the need for equitable access to prevention tools, including condoms, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis, and voluntary medical male circumcision. Despite the availability of these prevention methods, new infections persist, underscoring gaps in accessibility and education. Kalweo urged governments to prioritize robust prevention programs that meet people where they are, ensuring affordability and accessibility of all options.
She also pointed to the alarming decline in condom use across several countries and called for increased investment in condom distribution, education, and social marketing to ensure widespread and sustained usage.
The launch of Sierra Leone’s National Condom Strategy represents a significant step toward addressing the country’s sexual and reproductive health challenges. With strong support from UNFPA, UNAIDS, the Ministry of Health, and other stakeholders, the strategy aims to create a healthier and more informed population through comprehensive condom programming. Its success will depend on consistent advocacy, policy support, and active community participation in promoting condom use as an essential component of sexual and reproductive health. The collective commitment of all stakeholders signals a promising future for reproductive health advancements in Sierra Leone.