Lower Margibi County, August 27, 2026 — The Ministry of Health (MOH), through its Performance-Based Financing (PBF) Program, has commenced a two-day stakeholder validation meeting on the PBF Mainstreaming Plan and Roadmap, aimed at sustaining the gains achieved through PBF and strengthening its integration within Liberia’s health system.
The meeting, taking place from August 27–28 at Olive Tree, Schefflin, Margibi County, brings together Government institutions, health facilities, County Health Teams, development partners and other stakeholders to review the evidence, lessons learned and proposed pathway for the future of PBF.
PBF has been implemented as a strategy to strengthen Government health systems, with its implementation framework embedded within existing Ministry of Health structures and processes. It is also recognized in Liberia’s National Health Plan 2021–2031 and Health Financing Plan and Strategy as an implementation strategy.
Over the years, PBF has contributed to improvements in service delivery, quality of care, accountability, facility management and performance monitoring. From 2023 to 2025, hospital quality increased from 64.5 percent to 83.3 percent, while mean PHC quality across the seven PBF county series increased from 34.0 percent to 78.2 percent. Fourteen of the 17 incentivized service indicators also increased each year during the period reviewed.
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Catherine Thomas Cooper, emphasized the importance of sustaining the gains achieved through PBF as external project financing comes to an end.
«“We have to think of ways where we can sustain it using more domestic funding, or think about alternative funding for maintaining our Performance-Based Financing.”»
The mainstreaming process therefore goes beyond continuing PBF as a donor-supported project. It seeks to strengthen and institutionalize the functions that have demonstrated value and ensure that they remain integrated within Government systems and processes. This includes performance management, verification, quality improvement, accountability, facility autonomy and the use of data to drive performance.
As Liberia transitions into a new budget year, stakeholders will also consider the appropriate Government budgetary allotment and financing arrangements needed to sustain the gains achieved through PBF and support the systems that enable results-based purchasing.
The mainstreaming agenda supports the Government’s broader vision, under the leadership of Hon. Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, Minister of Health, to promote a results-oriented culture across the health sector—where resources, accountability and management are increasingly linked to measurable results for the people of Liberia.
PBF will also contribute to this longer-term vision by providing a foundation for the development of Liberia’s broader strategic purchasing architecture and the Liberia Health Equity Fund (LHEF). The intended pathway is PBF → Government Mainstreaming → LHEF, with lessons and systems developed through PBF informing the transition toward broader pooled financing and strategic purchasing.
The two-day validation meeting is expected to conclude with stakeholder agreement on the PBF Mainstreaming Plan and Roadmap, providing a practical pathway for Government ownership, sustainable financing, continued performance improvement and progressive integration into Liberia’s health financing system.
The goal is simple: protect the gains, strengthen Government systems, finance results, and build toward a stronger and more sustainable health financing system through LHEF.