President Boakai Commissions Liberia Standards Authority Quality Laboratory

Monrovia, Liberia: President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has commissioned the Quality Laboratory of the Liberia Standards Authority (LISA), describing the facility as a major step toward strengthening consumer protection, improving product safety, and supporting Liberia’s economic transformation.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony held at the Ministry of Public Works Compound in Monrovia, President Boakai said the laboratory will play a central role in ensuring that goods circulating on the Liberian market meet approved standards for safety, quality, and performance. He noted that the LISA lab will serve as a trusted national certification system, helping both consumers and businesses.

The President stressed that standards are directly tied to fairness in trade, public health, and consumer confidence. He warned that substandard products and deceptive market practices continue to hurt ordinary Liberians.

“The issue of standards is very practical. Even people in the market are being cheated every day due to hidden inflation and lack of attention to quality and quantity. Standards are very important to industries. They are very important to our economic life,” President Boakai said.

LISA, created under the 2022 Act, is mandated to oversee standardization, conformity assessment, and metrology in Liberia. President Boakai described the Authority’s operationalization as a critical institutional reform designed to promote accountability in commerce and protect consumers.

According to the President, the consistent enforcement of standards will enhance Liberia’s competitiveness in regional and international markets, reduce technical trade barriers, and expand opportunities for Liberian-made products. He urged the Authority to remain vigilant, systematic, and transparent in executing its responsibilities.

President Boakai also called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, private sector actors, market operators, and development partners to build a credible national quality infrastructure.

The President commended the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for its role in strengthening Liberia’s standards framework and acknowledged the contributions of development partners in upgrading laboratory facilities and technical capacity.

He emphasized that credible standards align with the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, noting that sustainable economic growth must be supported by systems that safeguard consumers and inspire investor confidence.

President Boakai maintained that standards should be viewed not as barriers to trade, but as tools for economic opportunity, ensuring that Liberian businesses can compete effectively within the ECOWAS region and beyond.

The commissioning of the LISA Quality Laboratory and Quality Mark signals what the government describes as a new phase in Liberia’s efforts to promote product integrity, strengthen market regulation, and improve public health protections.