Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has called on manufacturers of products covered by Compulsory Standards to adhere to mandatory requirements before their products are introduced on the market.
Currently, ZCSA regulates 102 locally manufactured and imported products covered by compulsory standards including food products, beverages, chemical products, construction materials, packaging materials, household electrical and similar appliances, petroleum products, fertilizer, and used textile products, among other products.
Agency Regional Manager – Domestic Quality Monitoring (South), Elias Kansembe, emphasized that compliance with compulsory standards is essential to instill consumer confidence and ensure product acceptability on both local and international markets.
Mr. Kansembe noted that consumers generally trust products that are safe, credible, and of high quality.
“Manufacturers of products covered by compulsory standards must ensure that they meet the requirements of the particular standard relating to their product of choice before such products are introduced on the market to prevent the risk of injury or harm to consumers of the environment.”
“It is a legal requirement for any producer of importer of products covered by compulsory standards to comply with the provisions of the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2027,” Mr. Kansembe emphasized.
He was speaking when he represented ZCSA Executive Director, Gerald Chizinga, during a penal discussion at the inaugural Chemical Association of Zambia Indaba, in Lusaka.
Mr. Kansembe also called for enhanced collaboration between industry and academia to ensure product safety and quality.
He noted that enhanced collaboration between industry, academia and regulators is key to closing some gaps which have been identified by regulating entities and other stakeholders.
Mr. Kansembe observed that there were challenges around the packaging of some products which could be resolved through enhanced collaboration between industry and academia.
“We have cases of some producers packaging products without adhering to standards.”
“These are issues that can be solved with enhanced collaboration between us regulators and academia” he noted.
This is according to a statement issued by ZCSA Public Relations Officer, Onishias Maamba.
