Africa-Press – Liberia. A newly established facility of the Liberia Standards Authority (LiSA) is expected to address longstanding health concerns caused by poor-quality beverages and expired commodities circulating on the Liberian market, officials say.
The laboratories are designed to protect consumers and improve nationwide product standards through scientific testing and verification.
On Thursday, February 12, 2026, LiSA Deputy Director General for Technical Services, Mr. Emanuel Mayors, led journalists on a tour of the new laboratories ahead of next week’s official dedication by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. Accompanied by heads of Quality Standards, Metrology, and Testing departments, Mr. Mayors explained how each unit will operate, assuring reporters that most equipment is already in the storage facility and scheduled for installation before formal commissioning.
The tour began in the Metrology Department, where its head, Mr. Williams, described two branches: Legal Metrology and Industrial and Scientific Metrology. He said Legal Metrology focuses on measurements used for trade, while the scientific branch ensures testing accuracy. Using rice as an example, he noted that many 25-kilogram bags sold on the market lack independent verification.
He said field teams will collect samples to confirm measurements and prevent consumer exploitation through a newly created Pre-Package Verification Unit.
Journalists also visited the Testing Department, headed by a female director, which includes the Food Chemistry and Macro Food Testing laboratories. She explained that the units will examine food and beverages for safety, including chemical and heavy metal contamination. Unsafe products will be removed from circulation, while goods exceeding permitted substance levels will be rejected or disposed of to prevent public health risks.
Special emphasis was placed on the Water Laboratory, which will assess drinking water sold in Liberia, and the Macro Residue Laboratory that tests chemical residues in locally grown foods such as potatoes and cassava leaves. According to the director, excessive chemical use in farming often goes undetected, but the new labs will ensure that products reaching consumers are safe for human consumption.
The tour concluded with a press briefing by LiSA Director General Hon. Stephen Y. Mambu, who announced that President Boakai will formally launch LiSA on February 19, 2026, transitioning it into Liberia’s autonomous national standards body. The ceremony will include commissioning the rehabilitated headquarters, unveiling Liberia’s first National Quality Mark, and adopting LiSA’s Five-Year Strategic Plan (2025–2029), marking the end of a transitional period following the 2022 LiSA Act.
Mr. Mambu said the refurbished facility, funded through the €7 million European Union–backed Liberia Food Safety Initiative implemented by UNIDO, features upgraded laboratories, hybrid energy systems, improved sanitation, and borehole water supply. Seventeen technical staff completed specialized training in Ghana in food safety testing, calibration, and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation preparation, positioning LiSA to regulate markets and protect consumers.
As part of activities leading up to the presidential launch, LiSA scheduled stakeholder engagements, including a private-sector open day, an academia-and-regulators forum, a development partners roundtable, and a national awareness campaign on consumer protection and anti-counterfeiting. The authority also unveiled a new corporate identity, including its logo, National Quality Mark, and Certification Mark, intended to assure compliance in domestic and export markets.
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