By: Domingo Dargbeh
Employees of the Standards Authority have accused the Board Chair of the institution, Minister Amin Modad, of undermining the institution’s Director General, Kansualism Kansuah.
Addressing a news conference over the weekend in Monrovia, the President of the Workers Union, Mr. Barnabas N. Wleh, revealed that Minister Modad, who is the Board Director, has refused to recognize the leadership of Liberia Standards Authority Director Kansuah, a situation that has caused LISA to be dormant for over the past months.
Mr. Wleh narrated that since the appointment of the Director General in May 2024, there have been external politics and conflicts within the Authority, especially those involving Minister Amin Modad, which have hampered and delayed the work of the Director General.
He indicated that the inactiveness of the Authority has exposed Liberians to hazardous and substandard products.
“The Liberian Standards Authority is unable to fulfill external and bilateral obligations with international partners, particularly in programs related to food safety and security, like the EU’s $7.0 million project known as the Liberia Food Safety Initiative,” he lamented.
The President of the Workers Union also highlighted the problem the institution is facing in obtaining its accreditation due to the interference of the Commerce Minister.
“The accreditation program, which is supported by WACOMP, RETRAP, PTP, and PTP for the accreditation of food, microbiology, food chemistry, and the mass lab of metrology, is also at a standstill.”
The much-talked-about MED-TECH SCIENTIFIC deal was dubiously and single-handedly handled by Minister Modad, who is the sole owner of the Liberia Standards Authority, he disclosed.
The Workers Union alleged that Minister Modad took $150,000 from MED-TECH SCIENTIFIC illegally and without consultation.
The Union President stated that he legally belongs to the Liberia Standards Authority, asserting that the minister’s actions are unpatriotic and that he is forgetting the hands that put food in his mouth.
Mr. Wleh is, however, calling on President Joseph Boakai to quickly intervene in the situation at the Liberia Standards Authority.
