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The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has received new laboratory equipment under the Lobito Corridor Trade Facilitation Project and a donation from the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), a move expected to strengthen product testing, improve export competitiveness and enhance Zambia’s participation in regional and international trade.
Speaking during the official handover ceremony in Lusaka on Tuesday at the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry offices, African Development Bank (AfDB) Transport Engineer, Daniel Isooba, said the equipment formed part of the Bank’s broader support to Zambia’s quality infrastructure under the US$8.1 million Lobito Corridor Trade Facilitation Project.
He said the project was designed to unlock the economic potential of the Lobito Corridor by improving trade logistics, reducing non-tariff barriers and strengthening institutions responsible for quality assurance and certification.
“The Lobito Corridor is much more than a transport corridor. It is an economic development corridor with the potential to transform production, facilitate industrialisation, create employment, reduce the cost of doing business and deepen regional integration,” Isooba said.
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He said improved testing and certification services would enable Zambian producers to comply with international sanitary and technical standards, opening access to lucrative export markets, particularly for products such as honey, which has significant demand in Europe and Asia but has struggled to meet stringent quality requirements.
Isooba added that the laboratory equipment would enhance ZABS’ ability to provide internationally recognised testing, certification and quality assurance services, benefiting exporters and contributing to increased foreign exchange earnings and poverty reduction.
He also disclosed that the AfDB recently approved a separate US$250 million Lobito Integrated Economic Corridor Development Project, which will support the development of the railway linking Zambia to Angola, upgrade the road from Mwinilunga to Jimbe to bituminous standard and develop infrastructure at the Jimbe One-Stop Border Post.
Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary for Investment and Industrialisation, Crusivia Hichikumba, said the equipment would support key sectors, including agriculture and manufacturing, by strengthening Zambia’s conformity assessment systems.
She said improved testing capacity would reduce technical barriers to trade and ensure Zambian products meet regional and international standards.
“This investment underscores Zambia’s commitment to trade facilitation under the African Continental Free Trade Area and SADC. It demonstrates how targeted support to national institutions can unlock value along trade corridors, contribute to industrialisation, economic growth and job creation,” Hichikumba said.
ZABS Executive Director, Nathan Sing’ambwa, described the equipment as a strategic investment that would improve the accuracy, reliability and efficiency of laboratory testing while reducing turnaround times for certification services.
He said the equipment would be deployed to laboratories, including those in strategic locations along the Lobito Corridor, bringing services closer to businesses and reducing the cost and time required to obtain testing and certification.
Sing’ambwa said, in addition to strengthening honey testing, previous interventions under the Lobito Corridor project had expanded ZABS’ capacity to test petroleum products, water, grains, feed, pesticides and other agricultural commodities.
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