slsb history

The Sierra Leone Standards Bureau (SLSB) became operational on the 24^th January 2000 as successor of the erstwhile Weights and Measures Department of the Ministry of Trade and Industry after the Standards Decree was passed under the National Provisional Ruling Council in 1996. During  the same year under the Presidency of Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the Standards Decree later changed without any substantive modifications as an Act of Parliament  as the Standards Act No 2 of 1996 under the National Provisional Ruling Council Decree (Repeal and Modification) Act No 3 of 1996. As part of the metamorphosis, SLSB initially operated the Weights and Measures Ordinance of 1944  which was later repealed and changed to the Weights and Measures Act No 5 of 2010. Currently the SLSB operates on two Acts, namely, the Standards Act No 2 of 1996 and the Weights and Measures Act No 5 of 2010 mandates the SLSB as the fulcrum for the promotion of the robustness of the Sierra Leone National Quality Infrastructure comprising of Standardization, Metrology and Conformity assessment (testing inspection and certification) and Market Surveillance.

Under the leadership of SLSB’s first Executive Director, Mr. Abdul Kalisera Jalloh, who pioneered the promulgation of the Standards Act and setting up the institution to be a National Standards Body, ensuring the institution stand on its own. At first SLSB was located at the Sierra Leone Producing Marketing Board Headquarter at Cline Town, near the Queen Elizabeth II Quay  in Freetown.  After nine (9)  years, the SLSB was re-located to the Wahaman Abu Compound at the Kissy Ferry Junction,  Kelsey Road in Freetown where its head office is currently situated. Through hard work and a desire to bring standardization, metrology, and conformity assessment  to the people throughout the country, the SLSB built the Food Laboratories, Petroleum Laboratories and the Metrology Complex building including Calibration Laboratories and Office spaces to temporarily house  the administration. The SLSB has gradually moulded into a formidable force despite challenges faced by the organization. It is, therefore, the quality of leadership as well as dedicated support from members of staff over the years which has made Sierra Leone Standards Bureau what it is today.

Good leadership implies hard work while achievement of organizational goals also depends on motivated, dedicated, and hardworking staff. It is this army of hard-working people at SLSB past and present that has ensured delivery of consistent quality results, attaining high team performance, executing formulated strategic plans, managing multiple and often conflicting priorities as well as driving the desired innovation for purposeful achievement and also attainment of organizational goals over the years.

Directors ( Chief Executive Officer)– 2000 to date