By Amos Sikaonga 
By Cecilia Chiluba
Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) and Zimbabwe’s Department of Quality Assurance and Trade Measures have called for enhanced collaboration with each other to support trade between the two countries.
ZCSA Executive Director, Gerald Chizinga, said collaboration between standards agencies is key in facilitating the much needed intra-Africa trade and promoting product safety for the benefit of citizens.
Speaking in Lusaka when the Zimbabwean delegation conducted a bench-marking visit at ZCSA Head Office, Mr. Chizinga emphasized the need for the two institutions to work together at institutional level to assist producers and traders, to increase compliance with mandatory standards in a quest to enhance access to markets and product safety in the two countries.
“Zambia and Zimbabwe are sister countries, hence the ties must be strong even at institutional level,” Mr. Chizinga said.
He added that the bench-marking visit provided a platform for the two institutions to learn from each other and share best practices in the implementation of compulsory standards.
And delegation leader from the Department of Quality Assurance and Trade Measures, Riyana Chibanda, said the enforcement of mandatory standards is key in ensuring that imported and locally manufactured products are safe.
Ms Chibanda noted that Zimbabwe has a challenge of an influx of substandard products and hoped such challenges will be resolved from exchange of best practices between the two institutions.
“Substandard products are affecting the competitiveness of locally produced products in Zimbabwe,” she noted.
The bench-marking visit was aimed at appreciating the implementation of compulsory standards as provided for under the Compulsory Standards Act.
This is according to a statement issued by ZCSA Public Relations Officer, Onishias Maamba.
Cecilia Chiluba