The Biobank of the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) under the leadership of Professor Brigadier Foday Sahr has been awarded a two-star level certification by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), signifying Sierra Leone's growing capacity to safely manage high-risk pathogens. This recognition follows a rigorous on-site assessment conducted on the 22nd and 23rd of May 2025, under the continental regulatory and certification framework for institutions handling high-consequence organisms.
The two-star rating signals that the Biobank has met essential standards in biosafety, biosecurity, and quality management, which qualifies it to handle and study deadly pathogens with minimal risk for public health emergencies. According to Dr. Jude Williams, Manager of Biobanking and Biosecurity “It implies we have some of the basic capacities to safely handle high-consequence organisms without any risk of causing outbreaks. We also have the systems to study these organisms, so we better understand how to prevent, respond to, and treat such threats.”
The Biobank, which began full operations just two years ago, is making tremendous efforts in a region where only a handful of institutions have reached similar or higher levels of certification. Dr. Williams drew attention to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana, a regional powerhouse in biosciences with over 40 years of history and currently holding a four-star rating. “We are proud that, with only two years of operations and this being our first assessment, we have achieved two stars. It gives us hope that with hard work and continued support, we can reach the level of institutions like Noguchi in the near future.”
This certification places Sierra Leone firmly on the map as a serious player in the African health security landscape. It reinforces the NPHA’s commitment to building sustainable national systems for disease surveillance, outbreak response, and biomedical research. More importantly, it serves as a testament to the country’s readiness to contribute to continental and global efforts in detecting and managing health threats.
Professor Brigadier Sahr the Executive Director of NPHA expressed deep satisfaction over the outcome “I am very happy that under my leadership, our little efforts are putting us in the right position, and we are ensuring that Sierra Leone's health security is top-notched.” He emphasized that maintaining and improving on this rating will require “continued support to the biobank from partners and the Government of Sierra Leone.”
As the Biobank looks ahead, we hope to strengthen quality management systems, invest in staff training, and expand partnerships with regional and international institutions. The two-star award may be the beginning, but for Sierra Leone, it is a clear sign that the nation is on the right track toward becoming a regional center of excellence in biobanking and pathogen research.