RFP No. ASLM/SL/BSBS/04/08/25
CLOSING DATE: 21 APRIL 2025 @ 10AM CAT
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Introduction
The African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) is a Pan‐African professional body, working to advocate for the critical role and needs of laboratory medicine and networks throughout Africa. For more information, please visit our website at https://aslm.org.
Background
Biosafety and biosecurity are essential for safeguarding human, animal, and environmental health from harmful biological agents and toxins. Biosafety focuses on preventing unintentional exposure, while biosecurity aims to protect biological agents, equipment, and information, ensuring accountability and preventing unauthorized access, loss, theft, or intentional release.
In 2019, the Africa CDC launched the Biosafety and Biosecurity Initiative (BBI) to strengthen the capacities of biosafety and biosecurity (BSBS) across AU Member States through legislative reform. A key deliverable of the BBI is the Regional Biosafety and Biosecurity Legislative Framework—a model law designed to assist countries in developing their national legislation.
Sierra Leone has actively participated in this process through its National Public Health Agency and the Ministry of Health. A legal mapping and gap analysis was conducted in November 2023, followed by a capacity-building workshop in March 2025. These initiatives have prepared Sierra Leone to develop a comprehensive BSBS law that is tailored to its national context.
Rationale
Currently, Sierra Leone has a wide variety of policies and regulations addressing biosafety and biosecurity but lacks a comprehensive national law. Domestication of the Africa CDC framework will harmonize existing laws, close governance gaps, and establish clear regulatory responsibilities. In addition, Sierra Leone is a party to several international treaties, including the International Health Regulations (IHR), Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the UN Security Council Resolution 1540, hence, developing domestic legislation will ensure Sierra Leone’s compliance with these obligations.