Support to Zambia Bureau of Standards in the field of Standardisation and Quality Management Systems

The Project at A Glance

Key issues faced by Zambian exports are indeed pertaining to compliance with international requirements from a quality perspective, including international standards, international requirements for test certificates, and internationally recognized accreditation of laboratories.
International Economics, with EU finding, is supporting Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) in strengthening the National Quality Infrastructure in Zambia and to foster its compliance with WTO/TBT requirements

What We Found

The country’s exports of goods present a low level of diversification, largely dominated by copper exports. Zambia is looking at increasing the production and export of a wider range of products, notably agricultural and agro-processed products. However, the limited supply capacity and the underdeveloped quality infrastructure prevent the country from fully enjoying the advantages of regional and international trade. In order to improve exports performance of value added products, local producers need to comply more efficiently with standards that govern quality and safety to satisfy national and international consumers. Our team worked with ZABS to develop a modern institutional infrastructure for quality and conformity assessment by upgrading its existing capacities in the areas of standardisation and management systems and supporting the accreditation process of key proficiency testing facilities.

Our Strategy and Impact

WTO TBT and SPS Agreements are critical elements when advancing with the implementation of the NQI, focussing on the preparation, adoption and application of technical regulations and, as a non-discriminatory principle, are intended to be applied by governments to regulate their markets in a transparent manner.In order to respect the application of the rules set by the WTO regarding transparency towards trade, and to allow for a recognised quality management in Zambia, it is of utmost importance for the country to strengthen its institutions and structures offering quality related services to the economy, as well a disseminate awareness of technical regulations and adoption of standards by the private sector. In this context, our Team helped to upgrade ZABS, the national statutory national standards body, as well as laboratories’ internal capabilities and organisational procedures to the level of internationally accepted practices through technical training of staff.

Our Core Solutions

As businesses seek to expand operations into new markets, the need to explore global supply chains and understand the international regulatory framework becomes crucial. At International Economics Consulting, we build tailor-made strategies for both import and export-oriented business solutions.

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