World Health Organization (WHO) conducts preliminary assessment of Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority's Medicines Quality Control Laboratory toward World Health Organization (WHO) listing of quality control laboratories

A team of experts led by the Regulation and Prequalification Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters conducted a technical assistance visit to the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) Medicines Quality Control Laboratory (MQCL) from 22 to 24 September 2026. The visit served as a preliminary assessment of the MQCL's readiness for the WHO Listing of Quality Control Laboratories (WLQCL), following EFDA's expression of interest in being assessed. In 2025, EFDA attained WHO Maturity Level 3 for medicines regulation across all eight applicable regulatory functions, including laboratory testing, as assessed using the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT). WHO listing is a separate process, and this mission marks a foundational step toward WLQCL. Opening the session on behalf of EFDA Director General Ms Heran Gerba, Deputy Director General Mr Negash Sime said that WHO's technical assistance would help the MQCL achieve listing, which would benefit both Ethiopia and the wider African region. He noted that local pharmaceutical manufacturing is a national priority for self-reliance and that it depends on a quality control laboratory that meets international standards. M