ZMA Wins OIML CEEMS Award in Paris
The Zambia Metrology Agency (ZMA) has been honoured with the OIML CEEMS Award for its exceptional contributions to legal metrology in Zambia and across Africa. The award was presented at the 60ᵗʰ CIML Meeting and 17ᵗʰ OIML Conference in Paris by Dr Bobjoseph Mathew, President of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML), and Mr Jaco Marneweck, Chairperson of the CEEMS Advisory Group, to Mr Humphrey Nkobeni, ZMA Executive Director.
The ceremony was attended by Mr Musamala Josia Nyirongo, Board Chairperson, and Dr Michael Nsefu, Director of Legal Metrology. The OIML CEEMS Award recognises outstanding metrology achievements in emerging economies, highlighting ZMA’s role in ensuring measurement accuracy, consumer protection, and fair trade practices.
Operating under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry (MCTI) and established under the Metrology Act No. 6 of 2017, ZMA ensures that Zambia’s national measurement system is traceable to the International System of Units (SI), supporting key sectors including energy, mining, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Key achievements of ZMA include:
- Regulation of pre-packaged goods such as fertilizers, bottled water, and roofing sheets.
- Oversight of petroleum distribution with biannual verification of fuel pumps, bulk flow meters, and tanker trucks.
- Achieving 98% compliance in nationwide inspections of farming inputs and pre-packaged goods over the past three years.
- Development and enforcement of regulations for measuring instruments, pre-packaged commodities, verification fees, and road traffic speedmeters.
- Surpassing annual verification targets with over 95% compliance from 2021 to 2025.
Strategic impact:
- Strengthened consumer protection and fair trade practices across Zambia.
- Legal metrology services contributed 36% growth in non-tax revenue in 2024.
- Built national capacity through training and regional collaborations with SADC, AFRIMETS, and OIML.
- Positioned Zambia as a benchmark CEEMS nation, collaborating with NMISA (South Africa) and NIM (China).
Verification highlights include type approvals for fuel dispensers, bulk flow meters, weighing scales, and speed cameras. National verification performance exceeded targets by 104–134%, with extensive inspections in construction, agriculture, food, LPG, and tanker trucks ensuring public safety and market integrity.
The award solidifies Zambia’s reputation as a leader in legal metrology in emerging economies, providing confidence in measurements and reinforcing the country’s commitment to consumer safety and fair trade.
