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Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority, Mamba Point, Monrovia (2025)

30/11/2025

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Management, and Staff of the Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), Managing Director Hon. Dr. Luke L. Bawo, Deputy Managing Director Dr. Patricia Quaye-Freeman, and the Senior Management Team extend warm and profound birthday greetings to Your Excellency as you mark this milestone.

At eighty-one, you stand as a living embodiment of our nation’s triumphs and trials — a reminder that leadership, at its best, is patient, steady, and anchored in service. Your journey has been long, yes, but it has also been purposeful, charting a path that inspires us to keep our operational frameworks tight, our strategic priorities aligned, and our national ambitions evergreen.

We pray that the Almighty continues to grant you health, clarity of vision, and the enduring wisdom required to steer Liberia through this next chapter of renewal and accountability. As an institution entrusted with safeguarding the quality of medicines and health products across the country, we remain committed to delivering results that align with your administration’s mandate for integrity, efficiency, and public trust.

May your day be filled with peace, strength, and the quiet satisfaction of a mission still unfolding. The work continues — and we stand ready to support the national agenda with unwavering commitment.

Happy Birthday, Your Excellency.
May the years ahead be even more impactful than the ones behind.

27/11/2025

Appearance of the Managing Directorñ of LMHRA, Dr. Luke L. Bawo, at the Ministry of Information (MoI) Regular Press Briefing
Date & Time: Thursday, November 27, 2025, at 12:00 PM

25/11/2025

The Appearance of the Managing Director of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), Dr. Luke L. Bawo, at the Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs (MICA) Regular Press Briefing

Date & Time: Thursday, November 27, 2025, at 12:00 PM
Location: Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs (MICA), Capitol Hill, Monrovia

Key Discussion Point:
 Modernization of LMHRA State-of-the-Art Ultra-Quality Control Lab
 Construction of the Health Waste Disposal Facility in Margibi County.
 Track and Trace all medicines and health products entering Liberia

24/11/2025

‘Big Leap for Liberia’s Health Sector’
-As LMHRA, QMS Signs US$9M Deal to Modernize Quality Control Lab

(Monday, November 24, 2025-Monrovia)–The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has taken a decisive step toward eliminating substandard and falsified medicines from the Liberian market, with the signing of a landmark Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) with its international partner, Quality Management Solutions (QMS).

The agreement, signed on Friday, November 21, 2025, at the LMHRA headquarters in Mamba Point, sets in motion a US$9 million investment to establish an ultra-modern, state-of-the-art Quality Control Laboratory. The initiative aims to secure ISO/IEC-17025:2017 Certification and achieve World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level-3 benchmarks, a standard currently unmet by the country's existing regulatory framework.

Speaking at the inception meeting, Dr. Luke Bawo, Managing Director of the LMHRA, described the agreement as a "big leap" for the health sector but offered a stark assessment of the current reality. He noted that despite significant advancements in healthcare infrastructure and personnel training over the last decade, the inability to verify the quality of medicines has left the system at a "breaking point."

“We cannot authenticate the quality of commodities in circulation,” Dr. Bawo admitted. “Currently, we can only conduct visual and physical testing. We cannot determine impurities in products or authenticate if a commodity is at a particular strength.”

He explained that the current laboratory suffers from unstable electricity, inadequate equipment, insufficient reagents, and a lack of accreditation, forcing the country to rely on costly third-party testing abroad. “The quality of any health system is directly dependent on the quality of commodities in circulation,” Dr. Bawo added. “This partnership marks a new day. We are resolved that within two years, we will attain the necessary global qualifications.”

Under the PPP model, QMS will operate as a profit-oriented entity to recoup its investment, with a revenue-sharing split of 65 percent to QMS and 35 percent to the Government of Liberia (LMHRA).

Shoaib Mirza, General Manager of QMS, outlined the technical scope of the project. He stated that QMS will renovate the existing structure and equip the lab to test a wide range of products, including: pharmaceuticals and medical consumables, food and animal feeds, petroleum products and sanitization chemicals.

“We will implement a Quality Management System that ensures the lab is legally identifiable, impartial, and consistent,” Mirza said. He pledged to generate test reports within 15 to 30 days and ensure that all personnel are rigorously trained to handle sophisticated instrumentation.
“It is a joy to work with the LMHRA in efforts to clean and clear Liberia of harmful medicines,” Mirza concluded.
Dr. Bawo emphasized that the path to this signing was deliberate and transparent, spanning over a year and three months. The process involved scrutiny and approval from the Executive, the Public Procurement and Concession Commission (PPCC), the Concession Committee at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), the National Investment Commission (NIC), and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).

“We insisted on doing everything the right way,” Dr. Bawo noted. “We have received the official approval to modernize this laboratory, and despite distractions, we are headed in the right direction.”

Dr. Patricia Quaye-Freeman, Deputy Managing Director of LMHRA, welcomed the partnership as a major milestone for consumer protection. “Together, we have the opportunity to build a facility that will serve as a model of excellence in quality assurance,” she said, urging the technical teams to engage in open dialogue and shared learning.

While the signing ceremony was kept low-key, Dr. Bawo announced that a grand commissioning of the facility is expected in four months, once the modernization is complete.
The new laboratory will introduce measures such as QR-coding for imported health products, allowing the LMHRA to aggressively clean up the market of expired, falsified, and dangerous medicines.

21/11/2025

Hon. Dr. Luke Bawo , the Senior Management and Staff of the Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority wishes you a blessed and wonderful birthday! Our prayer for you is that God grants you all the desires of your heart that align with His perfect plan, that He protects you and your loved ones, and that He multiplies every good thing you do. May your light shine ever brighter. Enjoy your special day MD 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈!

09/11/2025

LMHRA Leadership Travels for Key International Engagements
-Assures Operational Continuity

(November 9, 2025-MONROVIA)–The leadership of the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) has embarked on a series of crucial international engagements, with both the Managing Director and the Deputy Managing Director departing Liberia for separate missions to strengthen regulatory capacity and collaboration on the African and global stages.

LMHRA Managing Director, Dr. Luke L. Bawo, departed the country yesterday for Mombasa, Kenya, to participate in the 7th Biennial Scientific Conference on Medicines Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII). The high-level conference, serves as a platform to advance regulatory science and harmonization across the continent.

The 7th Biennial Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII) will take place from November 11–13, 2025, in Mombasa, Kenya, at the PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort & Spa.

SCoMRA VII is a high-level platform for stakeholders across the health product ecosystem to discuss advances in regulatory science and reflect on the progress of strengthening and harmonizing regulatory systems in Africa.

The conference aims to:
Advance Regulatory Harmonisation: Review and accelerate the alignment of regulatory standards across the continent, which is foundational to the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative.

Support the African Medicines Agency (AMA) define strategic actions to support the operationalization of the emerging AMA, which is headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda.

its also define strategies to strengthen the continent's capacity for local manufacturing and trade of quality-assured medical products, particularly under the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Furthermore, the conference will discuss the role of innovation and digital transformation, including the ethical adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in strengthening regulatory systems.

The Sessions will cover harmonized regulatory oversight, pooled procurement, digitalization in regulation, and emergency preparedness.

While in Kenya, Dr. Bawo is also scheduled to engage in two high-level CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) Tabletop exercises, underscoring the LMHRA’s commitment to global health security and preparedness against future pandemics.

The CEPI conducts high-level tabletop exercises as a key component of its work to prepare for future pandemics, particularly to support the ambitious "100 Days Mission"—the global goal to develop safe, effective, and globally accessible vaccines within 100 days of an outbreak. CEPI has recently been involved in planned exercises focused on operationalizing the rapid response capability needed for a future "Disease X" (a novel pathogen with pandemic potential).

To ensure seamless operation during the Managing Director’s absence, Dr. Bawo has initially handed over the acting leadership role to Deputy Managing Director, Dr. Patricia Quaye-Freeman, who is similarly on international travel commitments to Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Freeman while in Geneva, will represent the LMHRA in key engagements.

With both the Managing and Deputy Managing Directors are away, the Authority has put in place a clear succession plan, by designating the Director for Finance and Administration, Mr. Steve Bundor, to steer the affairs of the LMHRA pending Dr. Freeman's arrival.

In a statement released prior to their departures, the LMHRA Managing Director called on all staff to fully cooperate with the delegated authorities to maintain stability and effectiveness. The directive emphasized the need for continuity, urging staff to give the acting leaders their usual cooperation "so that the LMHRA continues to operate as a well-oiled machine," reflecting the Authority’s commitment to its mandate of ensuring the safety and efficacy of medicines and health products in Liberia.

Signed: Abraham Kolleh Morris, Sr.
Assistant Communications Manager

24/10/2025

Critical Funding Gap Impedes LHMRA

(Friday, October 24, 2025; Monrovia) The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), the nation's sole guardian against Substandard and Falsified medicines and health products, is operating under severe constraints due to cripplingly low budgetary allocation, according to its Managing Director, Dr. Luke Bawo. He warned that this persistent underfunding is actively stalling the institution's critical regulatory functions and its essential plans for nationwide decentralization.
Speaking at his office in Monrovia on Monday, October 20, 2025, during an interview with the New Narrative News Online Platform, Dr. Bawo painted a stark picture of the agency’s financial reality. The LMHRA is currently operating on a meager annual budget of $1.4 million.
The Managing Director further revealed the devastating impact of this small budget: an astonishing 91 percent of the total allocation is consumed by salary payments alone. This leaves the agency with virtually no operational budget to fund its core mandate, which includes rigorous product testing, market surveillance, and critical enforcement activities aimed at protecting public health.
"The entity has been underfunded in past administrations," Dr. Bawo stated, while noting that "discussions are ongoing for an increase in budgetary allocations" with the current government.
The LMHRA's mandate is to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of medicines and health products across all of Liberia. This necessitates a strong, decentralized presence to effectively monitor the market and prevent the proliferation of dangerous, fake drugs, especially in remote areas.
However, the current financial limitations have severely hampered this crucial expansion. Dr. Bawo explained that the agency is working tirelessly to establish a sub-office with adequate manpower in all fifteen counties. Yet, out of the fifteen counties, only four currently have a functioning sub-office.
The lack of resources in the remaining eleven counties creates a significant vulnerability, making it easier for illicit and harmful products to enter the supply chain outside the capital. While acknowledging the challenge, the LMHRA boss announced an ambitious plan to address the gap, revealing that the establishment of the eleven remaining county sub-offices is now projected to take place "early next year," contingent upon securing the necessary funding.
Established in 2010, the LMHRA acts as the Liberian government's statutory arm with a broad set of responsibilities vital to national health security. Its core duties include:
Product Registration and Authorization: Ensuring all medicines and health products entering the market meet established safety and quality standards.
Inspection and Enforcement: Performing regular inspections of manufacturing facilities, distributors, and markets.
Quality Control: Conducting laboratory analysis of products to verify their quality.
Pharmacovigilance: Monitoring and acting on adverse drug reactions and effects.
Counterfeit Elimination: Working aggressively to eliminate counterfeit and substandard medicines, which pose a direct threat to the lives of Liberian citizens.
Without the necessary funding to hire staff, equip laboratories, conduct frequent field inspections, and establish a presence in all counties, the agency's ability to execute these life-saving functions remains severely compromised, leaving the public vulnerable.
Dr. Bawo's comments serve as a clear call for increased investment in the country's public health infrastructure. The success of the LMHRA in guaranteeing access to safe and effective medication is directly tied to its budget. As the agency engages in ongoing discussions with the government, the focus remains on securing an allocation that reflects the critical, life-protecting nature of its mission.

23/10/2025

Liberia Launches TRVST To Revolutionize Nationwide Healthcare Against Counterfeit Vaccines

(Monrovia: October 22, 2025)—Liberia has completed the nationwide rollout of a groundbreaking digital system, the Verification and Traceability System (TRVST), dramatically boosting the security of its health supply chain and positioning the country as a leader in patient safety across West Africa.
This monumental achievement marks a critical turning point in the fight against counterfeit vaccines. TRVST is a cutting-edge digital tool, developed under UNICEF's Verification Traceability Initiative (VTI), designed to instantly verify the authenticity of vaccines and essential medical supplies in the future. Its full deployment across every county represents a successful stride in the Government’s commitment to modernizing healthcare delivery.
The successful implementation was driven by the Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA). "TRVST has empowered our teams to act swiftly and confidently in verifying vaccines and subsequently medical products," said Dr. Emmanuel Willie, the LMHRA TRVST Focal Team Lead who guided the national effort. He further asserted that the new healthcare technology “is a game-changer for public health.”
The rollout began with an intensive, four-day training workshop held in Gbarnga, B**g County, from September 8–11, 2025, sponsored by UNICEF and coordinated by LMHRA. That phase prepared over 250 staff at both the county and national levels to operate the new system.
The County-level Training was conducted from September 8–9, 2025, with two days of hands-on sessions focused on the TRVST app usage, scanning protocols, and crucial counterfeit detection techniques for supply chain staff. While the National-level Training kicked off from September 11–12, 2025, spanning over another two days and brought together key national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and UNICEF Liberia, to ensure policy alignment and sustainable long-term operations.
Dr. Willie's leadership was instrumental in ensuring all teams were fully equipped for the transition.
According to him, the system is already yielding concrete results, enabling the real-time verification of vaccine doses and leading to the successful detection of counterfeit products at various points in the supply chain.
"From Monrovia to the counties, TRVST is helping us protect lives and restore trust in our health systems," remarked a County Health Officer from Grand Bassa.
This accomplishment was supported by a strong foundation of global partnership, with major organizations like GAVI, USAID, The Global Fund, the EU, and the Gates Foundation providing crucial resources and knowledge. Technical expertise from the Rwanda and Nigeria Food and Drug Administrations also contributed significantly.
Looking ahead, Liberia is committed to expanding TRVST to cover other essential pharmaceutical products and medicines soon. Moreover, the nation is setting a regional precedent; plans are already underway to share lessons learned and support the broader adoption of traceability systems across neighboring countries in West Africa. TRVST is not just a tracking system; it is a clear symbol of Liberia's dedication to the health and safety of its citizens, guaranteeing a new era where trust in the quality of medicine is digitally assured.

14/10/2025

LMHRA Concludes Pharmaceutical Inspection Across Montserrado

-15-Day Operation Aims to Strengthen Regulation of Medicines and Health Products

The Liberia Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), through its Inspectorate & Post Market Surveillance Department, has successfully concluded a comprehensive 15-day pharmaceutical inspection across Monrovia and its surroundings.

The initiative, which began on September 15, 2025, targeted over eighty hospitals and clinics to ensure compliance with national regulatory standards.
The inspection formed part of LMHRA’s statutory mandate to regulate and register all medicines and health products in Liberia, as outlined in the act establishing the authority. The operation aimed to reinforce public health safety by identifying and eliminating falsified, expired, and unregistered pharmaceutical products from circulation.
Leading the inspection, LMHRA Inspector General, Dr. Paul D.Y. Higgins emphasized the critical importance of robust pharmaceutical regulation. He noted that safeguarding public health from harmful medical products remains central to the agency’s mission.
“Public safety against falsified, expired, and unregistered products is key to our work,” Dr. Higgins stated. “We urged citizens to remain vigilant by checking expiration dates and ensuring that LMHRA certificates are visibly displayed at certified medical facilities before making any purchases.”
The inspection covered major commercial hubs and communities including Red-light, Duala, Sinkor, Congo Town, Waterside, Rally Town, Jacob Town, Johnsonville, ELWA, Robertfield Highway, Gardnersville, Vai Town, and others.
This latest exercise underscores LMHRA’s ongoing commitment to consumer protection and the promotion of safer pharmaceutical practices throughout Liberia.

22/09/2025

It's World Pharmacists Day, and we are excited to honour and celebrate the invaluable contributions of PHARMACISTS on our health team! We are calling on all Pharmacists to join hands with our colleagues from across the globe 🌎 to make this year activities successful.

Happy World Pharmacists Day to all Pharmacists!

27/08/2025

LMHRA’s ICT Chief Trains In Botswana To Benchmark Trade Portal Initiative

In a bid to strengthen Liberia’s trade infrastructure and boost regional competitiveness, Mr. Emmanuel T. Grimes, Manager for Information Communications Technology (ICT) at the Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA), is undergoing an intensive training program at the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC). Mr. Grimes is part of a high-level Liberian delegation, including a team of ICT experts, under the guidance of Hon. Wilmot Albertoe Reeves, Deputy Minister of Commerce and Trade of Liberia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Liberian delegation’s mission is to benchmark Botswana’s renowned Trade Portal, a comprehensive, one-stop platform that delivers transparent, up-to-date, and accessible trade regulatory information for African countries. By studying Botswana’s model, Liberia aims to develop its own Trade Information Portal—a critical tool designed to streamline trade processes, enhance transparency, and bolster regional competitiveness.
“Our objective is to learn from Botswana’s established system and adapt best practices to our own context,” said a Liberian official familiar with the program. “The Trade Information Portal will be central to reducing bureaucratic friction, improving efficiency for traders, and attracting investment in Liberia.”
The training entails: portal architecture and governance; how Botswana’s portal is structured, maintained, and updated to ensure accuracy and reliability; data integration and interoperability; methods for aggregating diverse regulatory information from multiple government agencies into a single access point.
Also, it seeks to create a user experience and accessibility; a user-friendly interface that serves importers, exporters, and regulatory personnel alike. Regulatory transparency that creates mechanisms that ensure timely updates, clear guidance, and responsiveness to stakeholder queries.
BITC is a government-supported entity dedicated to promoting investment, facilitating trade, and fostering the growth of Botswana’s business sector. It operates as a one-stop shop for investors and exporters, offering information, guidance, and services to streamline business activities within Botswana. The Centre also provides essential details on incentives, regulatory requirements, and market opportunities.
BITC’s approach has earned recognition for its ability to consolidate disparate regulatory information into a single, accessible portal. The Centre’s emphasis on transparency, efficiency, and customer-centric service delivery has made it a model for other African nations seeking to improve trade facilitation.
Liberia has long sought to strengthen its trade facilitation framework as part of broader efforts to diversify the economy and integrate deeper into the West African and African continental markets. The ongoing Trade Information Portal project is a cornerstone of this strategy, aligning with regional initiatives to improve trade data accessibility and governance.
Following the Botswana visit, Liberian officials plan to document best practices, adapt them to the Liberian context, and develop a prototype Trade Information Portal. Stakeholders from government ministries, the private sector, and development partners are expected to contribute to the design, content, and governance of the platform.
BITC Chairman and relevant Botswana government officials have reaffirmed their commitment to fostering bilateral collaboration and knowledge exchange to strengthen trade facilitation across Africa.
“The exchange with BITC will help Liberia build a robust, transparent, and user-friendly Trade Information Portal that serves the needs of traders and regulators alike,” said a member of the Liberian delegation.
“BITC remains dedicated to promoting investment and trade across Botswana and beyond, and we are pleased to share our experiences to support Africa’s collective goals,” noted a BITC spokesperson.

Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority

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Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
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Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00