Zambia to boost confidence in quality of local products through regional agreements

The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has pledged to collaborate with National Standards bodies within the region and beyond to ensure the signing of cooperation agreements to facilitate for Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs).

ZABS Executive Director, Nathan Sing’ambwa, said the mutual recognition agreements would facilitate the acceptance of Zambian products and services on the regional and international markets.

Sing’ambwa said this after holding bilateral meetings with National Standards bodies from China, Turkey, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, according to statement issued on Saturday by ZABS Senior Marketing and Communications Officer, Nzali Chella.

He said agreements, enable acceptance of certification marks and test certificates, thereby simplifying and expediting the process of trade and market access for products and services thereby creating a conducive environment for increased trade.

“ZABS is committed to working closely with the National Standards Bodies in those countries, to establish mechanisms for the mutual recognition of test certificates and certification marks on products and services,” Sing’ambwa said.

He said the collaboration was essential for reducing technical barriers to trade thereby creating a conducive environment for increased trade and investment.

Sing’ambwa said the initiative would boost confidence in the quality of products and services that are traded with these countries.

The bilateral meetings were held on the sidelines of the International Standardization Organisation (ISO) General Assembly taking place this week in Brisbane, Australia under the theme “Meeting Global Needs” with the focus on the role of standards in fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, climate change, cleaner/greener energy, food security and anti-corruption, among others.

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