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Zambia has began recognising dip sticks and charts certified by the Weights and Measures Agency of Tanzania as secondary or reference measuring instruments for tanker trucks importing fuel into the country.
The move follows the signing of a Mutual Recognition Framework Agreement (MRFA) between the Zambia Metrology Agency (ZMA) and Tanzania’s Weights and Measures Agency on December 12, 2025.
The agreement was concluded under the guidance of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The MRFA aims to enhance regulatory flexibility, strengthen measurement assurance in cross-border trade and promote regional harmonisation of metrology practices.
ZMA Executive Director, Humphrey Nkobeni, said in a statement on Tuesday that the recognised dip sticks and charts would be used alongside temperature-compensating bulk flow meters, which remain the primary legal trade measurement instruments for loading and off-loading petroleum products in tanker trucks.
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“The bulk flow meter, where installed and duly verified in accordance with the Metrology Act No. 6 of 2017, shall remain the primary and legally binding method for determining quantities at the point of custody transfer within Zambia,” Nkobeni said.
He explained that the dip stick and chart method had not previously been implemented due to the absence of a domestic calibration facility capable of producing legally controlled measuring instruments for tanker trucks.
In line with the Metrology Act, 2017, ZMA would conduct inter-comparisons of national measurement standards with its Tanzanian counterpart to ensure continued traceability, technical equivalence and confidence in petroleum trade measurements between the two countries.
Nkobeni clarified that the recognition applied exclusively to tanker trucks engaged in cross-border fuel imports.
“Locally operating tanker trucks within Zambia shall continue to utilise the bulk flow meter and ullage mark systems as currently implemented and verified by the Zambia Metrology Agency,” he said.
He added that the arrangement reflected operational realities in the region, noting that Zambia predominantly used bottom-loading systems while Tanzania relied on top-loading systems, while still safeguarding legal metrology controls and measurement accuracy.
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