National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL)
Dr. Michael Lahai
Head of Department (Manager)
Email: lab@pharmacyboard.gov.sl
Bio
Dr. Michael Lahai serves as the Head of Department (Manager) for the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL). His academic progression includes a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) from the University of Sierra Leone (2009), a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Njala University (2012) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Sierra Leone (2013). He further completed a PharmD conversion program at the University of Benin, Nigeria (2019). He is a Fellow of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (FPCPharm) in Clinical Pharmacy and holds the PCQI (Practitioner of the Chartered Quality Institute) credential along with UK Certified Lead Auditor status (2021–2024). His excellence in global health research earned him the prestigious NIHR Research Grant from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2021.
About the Department
The National Quality Control Laboratory is a key regulatory department of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone that ensures pharmaceuticals and medical devices meet quality safety and efficacy standards through physicochemical microbiological and performance-based testing aligned with GLP and international pharmacopoeias.
The following are the Department's core functions:
- Conduct physicochemical microbiological and performance-based testing on medicines and medical devices.
- Issue Certificates of Analysis and provide scientific evidence for regulatory decisions.
- Support post-market surveillance product recalls border inspections and pharmacovigilance investigations.
- Maintain GLP-compliant quality systems documentation data integrity and laboratory safety protocols.
- Build capacity and drive continual improvement in line with international best practices.