Celebration of the World Metrology Day in Liberia under the theme '' Metrology, a Trade Facilitation Tool ''

The World Metrology Day, which is celebrated every year on the 20^th of May, was celebrated in Liberia on Thursday the 24^th of May, 2018. The National Standards Laboratory (NSL) of Liberia organized the program through the sponsorship of the German Metrology Institute (PTB).

Mr. Lawrance Yankey, former Director General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and African Development Bank consultant on Standards and Conformity assessment, stressed on the importance of metrology to quality assurance and standardization and how it affects the ordinary people. He gave highlight on the ECOWAS Quality Infrastructure, saying that in order to achieve a Quality Infrastructure, metrology must be recognized as the bedrock. Mr. Weleegbeh Nicholas Williams, Technical Manager of the Department of Metrology at NSL, provided a short overview of Liberia’s metrology system along with the gains and challenges. In the keynote address, Hon. Prof. Wilson Tapeh, Minister of Commerce and Industry, mentioned the importance of metrology to trade facilitation and the government agenda to promote quality. The only way to obtaining a prosperous and industrialized nation and to gain competitive edge both within the ECOWAS region and the global stage, he added, is to have a developed national quality infrastructure that will provide the needed services to local producers and service providers. He then pledged his support to NSL as it proposes one of the major changes to our national measurement system “the conversion to the metric system”. Finally, he thanked partnering institution, European Union (EU), UNIDO, the ECOWAS commission and the German National Metrology Institute (PTB) for their tremendous support to the development of metrology in Liberia and the ECOWAS region.

Representatives from the Liberia Manufacturing Association, Liberia’s Chamber of Commerce, European Union, Representative of the ECOWAS Commissioner, Charge d’ Affairs of the German Embassy in Liberia, and the Charge d’ affairs of the Brazilian Embassy in Monrovia, gave various remarks.

During the workshop session, presentations were on the need for Liberia to convert to the metric system. After which participants were divided into three groups in order to discuss and give a holistic position on whether Liberia should adopt the metric system or should maintain the English Imperial measurement system.