ZCSA, ZNBC Forge Partnership to Boost Consumer Protection Awareness
The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has called for stronger collaboration with the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) to raise public awareness on product safety and environmental protection.
ZCSA Executive Director, Gerald Chizinga, made the appeal when he paid a courtesy call on ZNBC Director General, Berry Lwando, in Lusaka. He stressed that closer cooperation between the two institutions would help safeguard consumers from unsafe products on the market through simple and accessible sensitisation programmes.
“ZNBC is not just a national broadcaster but an important voice and mirror of the nation. Through your platforms, which broadcast in English and our rich local languages, you reach millions of Zambians in their homes, workplaces, and communities every single day. This reach is a national asset, and we must harness it for the greater good of our people,” Mr Chizinga said.
The engagement comes in the wake of the Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 20 of 2025, issued on 9 May by the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, which declared an additional 41 national standards as compulsory. These cover a range of products including solar equipment, food items, table wines, energy drinks, packaging materials, construction materials, and fertilisers. The move has increased the total number of products under compulsory standards from 61 to 102.
Mr Chizinga revealed that ZCSA has translated its key consumer safety messages into local languages to ensure inclusivity. He also encouraged journalists to participate in the Agency’s 3rd Annual Media Awards, set to be announced in the first week of November 2025.
Mr Lwando welcomed the proposed partnership, saying ZNBC offers multiple platforms, from radio to television, which could be utilised to educate citizens on new standards. “We look forward to a mutually satisfying relationship with ZCSA. We need a win-win situation for the benefit of citizens,” he said, while urging the Agency to expand outreach in both urban and rural areas using local languages.
Mr Chizinga was accompanied by ZCSA’s Manager – Communications and Public Relations, Brian Hatyoka, and Public Relations Officer, Onishias Maamba.
The ZCSA, operating under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, is mandated by the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2017 to administer, maintain, and enforce compulsory standards to ensure public safety, health, and environmental protection.
