ZCSA Tightens Product Safety

Alliance with CCPC drives consumer protection across Zambia

By Francis Maingaila ♥️ 

Lusaka, Zambia24 – (December 30, 2025)

The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA), in partnership with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), has stepped up efforts to protect consumers, expanding regulated products and removing thousands of unsafe goods from the market to safeguard public health and the environment nationwide.

Speaking during an end-of-year media briefing in Lusaka, ZCSA Executive Director Gerald Chizinga said the agency declared 41 new Zambian standards compulsory in 2025, increasing the number of regulated products from 61 to 102. 

He said the move significantly strengthened consumer protection, public health, and environmental safety.

Chizinga explained that the new compulsory standards were issued through Statutory Instrument No. 20 of 2025 by the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Chipoka Mulenga. 

"The standards apply to both locally manufactured and imported products, including packaging materials, fertilisers, fish feed, food products, lubricants, fuels, beverages such as energy drinks and table wines, as well as construction materials such as concrete blocks and steel bars."

 Enforcement of the standards began on October 1, 2025.

He further disclosed that additional standards are planned for declaration in 2026 and beyond, as ZCSA continues to widen its regulatory scope.

Chizinga reported that the agency conducted its 2025 National Open Market Surveillance (OMS) between October 12 and December 5, uncovering 470 cases of non-compliance across all 10 provinces, covering 61 districts and 108 localities.

He said inspections focused on 41 high-risk product categories, including fertilisers, packaged water, peanut butter, household electrical appliances, potable spirits, maize meal, clear beer, and used textiles. 

During the exercise, inspectors assessed 1,584 trading outlets and 1,925 product brands nationwide.

The main violations recorded included administrative non-compliance such as missing permits and certification (176 cases), non-compliant electrical fittings (150 cases), expired products (50), banned or prohibited goods (43), and poor labelling (40).

As a result, 5,663 unsafe products were withdrawn from the market for posing safety risks to consumers. 

These included electrical fittings and connections, potable spirits, rubber condoms, fruit-flavoured drinks, bottled water, household electrical appliances, and incandescent bulbs. 

In addition, 14,121 products were quarantined or restricted pending further compliance verification.

Chizinga said the withdrawn goods had a total market value of K440,645.89 in 2025, down from K818,039.19 in 2024, indicating gradual improvements in compliance levels.

However, he acknowledged that overall compliance declined to 85.5 percent in 2025, compared to 93.4 percent in 2024.

 Compliance stood at 88.6 percent among manufacturers, 75.6 percent among brands, and 92.4 percent among trading outlets. 

He explained that the decline was largely due to expanded surveillance coverage, increased inspection days, and larger inspection teams, which led to the detection of more non-compliance cases.

“The expanded scope of inspections allowed us to detect more non-compliance, which inevitably affected the overall compliance figures,” Chizinga said.

He also highlighted the official launch of ZCSA services on the Government Service Bus (GSB) on May 23, 2025, noting that the digital platform has improved access to services by allowing clients to transact remotely and more efficiently.

Chizinga announced that the agency will host its third Media Awards in the first quarter of 2026 to recognise journalists who promote public health, product safety, and consumer protection.

He further cited a joint school clubs initiative between ZCSA and the CCPC, launched in June 2025, aimed at educating pupils on product safety and consumer rights. 

The programme was piloted in Lusaka, Muchinga, and Southern provinces and is expected to expand nationwide in 2026.

Chizinga noted that potable spirits, packaged water, dishwashing liquids, and electrical fittings remain the most non-compliant products on the market, while compliance in fertilisers has improved due to better storage practices.

He urged consumers to remain vigilant, report suspicious products, and purchase goods only from trusted sources.

“The agency remains committed to ensuring that products covered by compulsory standards are safe and to protecting consumers across the country,” Chizinga said.

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