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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened ministries, media, paint manufacturers, importers and school representatives today to mark International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week under the theme “No safe level: Act Now to End Lead Exposure.”
The meeting renewed commitments to enforce the national limit on lead in paint and set a clear timetable for compliance ahead of a March 2026 deadline.
Director Bashiru Idriss, representing EPA Executive Chairman Dr. Abubakarr Massaquoi, opened the event and introduced Director Joseph S. Turay Environmental Health and Safety, EPA. Who chaired the meeting. Director Turay highlighted the severe health risks of lead exposure for children and adults and praised the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau and partner ministries for their technical contributions to the campaign.
Edwin Baimba, Director of Environmental Quality Control and Management at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, reminded attendees that International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week runs from 19 to 25 October 2025 and reiterated that the law now criminalizes the manufacture, import, export or sale of paints containing more than 90 Part Per Millimeter (PPM) of lead. Director Baimba urged manufacturers, importers and dealers to take the regulation seriously and to align operations with the national standard.
Representing the National Public Health Agency, Lily Kainwo, Planning Lead for Public Health Emergency Management, described her agency’s role in managing harmful chemicals as part of broader public health protection. Kainwo confirmed ongoing collaboration with the EPA to stamp out lead in paint and called on all stakeholders to support enforcement efforts that protect children and communities from toxic exposure.
Mohamed Osman Bah, Head of Standards at the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, outlined the bureau’s collaboration with the EPA since 2021 in developing a regulatory framework for lead in paint. Bah explained that regional standards were adapted and shared for technical alignment and urged manufacturers to adopt the regulated standard rather than relying exclusively on in-house specifications.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Assistant Director for Policy Planning and Research pledged the ministry’s support for implementing and enforcing the lead-in-paint regulation. Industry representatives signalled willingness to cooperate while asking for clear, practical steps toward enforcement.
Alhaji Mohamed Konneh, manager of Lintex Paint Company, welcomed the regulation and pledged that his company would comply before the March 2026 deadline. Konneh said Lintex would work with other manufacturers to encourage adherence and pressed the EPA to ensure the regulation is implemented effectively, not kept only on paper.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session and formal signing of conformity commitments by paint manufacturers. The EPA reassured participants and the media of its commitment to full enforcement and said it will reconvene stakeholders ahead of the March 2026 deadline to review progress.
For further information the EPA provided a toll-free line, 199, and its website, www.epa.gov.sl. The agency urged the public to support the transition away from leaded paints to protect children’s health and long-term community wellbeing.
