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The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has called for enhanced collaboration between industry and academia to ensure product safety and quality.
ZCSA Regional Manager – Domestic Quality Monitoring (South), Elias Kansembe, said improved cooperation among industry, academia and regulators was key to closing gaps identified by regulating entities and other stakeholders.
Kansembe was speaking in Lusaka on Saturday, December 6, 2026, when he represented ZCSA Executive Director, Gerald Chizinga, during a panel discussion at the inaugural Chemical Association of Zambia Indaba.
He said there were challenges around the packaging of some products that could be resolved through closer collaboration between industry and academic institutions.
“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,” Kansembe said.
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He also called on manufacturers of products covered by compulsory standards to adhere to mandatory requirements before their products are introduced on the market.
Kansembe said compliance with compulsory standards was essential to instill consumer confidence and ensure product acceptability on the local and international markets.
He said consumers usually had confidence in products that were safe, credible and of good 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 or the environment,” Kansembe stated.
He emphasised that it was a legal requirement for any producer or importer of products covered by compulsory standards to comply with the provisions of the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2017.
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