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The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has called on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to comply with compulsory standards to enhance their competitiveness and gain access to lucrative markets.
ZCSA Regional Manager, Elias Kansembe, said products that met mandatory technical requirements were better positioned to access high-value markets both locally and internationally.
Kansembe noted that adopting standards in business operations helped SMEs develop customer-focused products and services, while also improving productivity and profitability.
He was speaking in Lusaka on Wednesday during a presentation at the Access Bank SME Business Masterclass, held under the theme “From Small to Strong: Accelerating Sustainable SME Growth Through Business Linkages and Access to Finance.”
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Presenting on “Product Quality and Standards: Strengthening SME Competitiveness and Market Access,” Kansembe said standards played a critical role in protecting consumers from potentially harmful products.
He explained that ZCSA supported local manufacturers by ensuring their products met both domestic and international technical requirements, thereby improving market access opportunities.
Kansembe further said the Agency also safeguarded locally manufactured goods from unfair competition posed by substandard foreign products.
“To manufacturers, ZCSA aims to ensure that both your raw materials and final products are fit for use. This helps reduce damages, reworks and claims, while guaranteeing market access and satisfied consumers,” he said.
He added that one of the Agency’s strategic objectives was to strengthen SMEs’ capacity to comply with compulsory standards in order to promote growth, competitiveness and compliance in the marketplace.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development Permanent Secretary, Subeta Mutelo, said government recognized that SMEs required more than financing to thrive, noting that access to information, skills, favourable conditions and business connections were equally important.
Mutelo said government would continue implementing policies, programmes and platforms aimed at supporting SME growth.
“It is important to strengthen platforms that support capacity building and market linkages.
“These platforms bring the right people together, create opportunities for practical engagement and support solutions that businesses can actually use,” she said.
Access Bank Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dr. Iheanyi Nwogu, urged SMEs to apply knowledge gained during the masterclass to grow their businesses.
Nwogu also reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting the growth and development of SMEs in Zambia.
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