MONROVIA – A four-member US Government Delegation comprising of engineers and scientists from the Defense Threats Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) arrived in Liberia on Sunday January 9, 2022, for a 5-day working visit to the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL). While in the country, the USG mission held several meetings with NPHIL management, and visited NPHIL’s National Reference Laboratory in Charlesville, Margibi County and the newly constructed Laboratory and Head Office building site in Congo Town, Monrovia.
The Delegation which was headed by DTRA, expressed its gratitude to NPHIL for the level of commitment and urgency the institution has placed on the completion of its Laboratory and Office Complex in Monrovia. As part of a support package to Liberia, DTRA commenced the construction of a state-of-the-arts multimillion dollars new laboratory complex to transition the only public health laboratory in Liberia from its existing campus at the Liberia Institute of Biomedical Research (LIBR) to a newly constructed facility in Oldest Congo Town, Monrovia, Liberia.
Construction of NPHIL new Headquarters and Laboratory complex begun in September of 2017 but later halted by end of 2018, after a year of construction works, due to some issues related to contractor transitioning and leadership changes at NPHIL. However, to assure that construction works on this building resume, the Director General of NPHIL, Hon. Jane A. MaCauley led a six-member delegation to the United States of America in September of 2021 where discussions regarding completion and sustainability of the new facility, amongst other issues were held.
While in Liberia, the mission met with Liberian counterparts at the National Reference Laboratory in Charlesville, Margibi and spent several hours conducting structural assessment and analysis of the newly constructed facility in Monrovia. The Delegation is expected to meet with NPHIL Management prior to departing Liberia on Thursday January 13, 2022 to provided updates, assessment reports and recommendations of findings on the construction. The debrief meeting also provided information that will help NPHIL Officials set operational schedules and determination for finalizing construction works on the new Headquarters building.
