Liberia Launches Three-Day One Health Workshop to Advance ISO 9001 Accreditation for Public Health Institutions
Monrovia, Liberia – August 11, 2025: Liberia today commenced a three-day One Health workshop at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia, bringing together key stakeholders from the country’s public health, agriculture, and environmental sectors, alongside international partners, to accelerate progress towards ISO 9001 accreditation. ISO 9001 is a globally recognized benchmark for quality management systems, ensuring institutions consistently meet international standards, improve operational efficiency, and deliver reliable public health services.
The initiative, funded by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and co-organized by the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) through its National Reference Laboratory (NPHRL), seeks to strengthen Liberia’s diagnostic capacity and align national public health systems with internationally recognized quality management standards.
National participants include the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Liberia Standard Authority (LiSA), Liberia National Laboratory Board, and the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC). International partners represented include the World Health Organization (WHO), African Bio Enterprise, Africa CDC, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Fai Karl Gwei Njuwa, Technical Officer at Africa CDC, underscored the significance of ISO 9001 accreditation in ensuring that public health laboratories operate at the highest quality standards. He emphasized how laboratory quality standard is critical in maintaining NPHIL’s standard as the Africa CDC’s Center of Excellence in the region.
Dr. Julius S.M. Gilayeneh, Sr., Acting Deputy Director General for Technical Services at NPHIL, formally opened the workshop, noting that the initiative will “significantly boost Liberia’s diagnostic capacity, improve efficiency, and strengthen national and regional health security.” He praised the Africa CDC and other laboratory partners working with the NRL and other laboratories across the country.
Other institutional representatives welcomed the training as a pivotal step toward achieving sustainable diagnostic excellence in Liberia.
The workshop is grounded in the One Health approach, a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary framework that acknowledges the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health. In Liberia, where public health threats often emerge from zoonotic diseases, environmental hazards, and water safety issues, this approach ensures stronger coordination to prevent, detect, and respond to health risks.
Over the course of the three days, participants will engage in sessions covering gap analysis, process documentation, and stakeholder roles in attaining ISO 9001 compliance. The roadmap to certification includes leadership engagement, internal audits, management reviews, and mock assessments ahead of the final accreditation process.
Once accredited, Liberia will join a select group of African nations with internationally recognized public health quality management systems, enhancing credibility, building public trust, and bolstering the country’s capacity to safeguard health.
