ZCSA Reports 86% Compliance Rate for Compulsory Standards in 2025
The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has recorded an 86 percent compliance rate for selected products assessed under compulsory standards across the country in 2025, down from 93.4 percent in 2024.
ZCSA Executive Director, Mr Gerald Chizinga, said the decline should be viewed in context, noting that the 2025 assessment covered all 10 provinces, compared with nine provinces assessed in the previous year. He also cited variations in inspection timeframes and team sizes as contributing factors.
Mr Chizinga was speaking on Tuesday during the ZCSA 2025 End-of-Year Media Briefing attended by journalists from print, broadcast and online media.
According to findings from the 2025 National Open Market Surveillance exercise, the Agency inspected 41 products across 1,584 trading outlets, covering 1,925 product brands nationwide. The inspections revealed 470 cases of non-compliance.
The non-compliant products included expired, unregistered and banned items, poorly labelled goods, caked fertiliser, substandard electrical products and packaged items containing foreign matter.
Mr Chizinga disclosed that the total value of withdrawn products in 2025 stood at K440,645.89, a significant reduction from K818,039.19 recorded in 2024. He said the decrease in both the number and value of withdrawn products indicated improving compliance among market players.
“We therefore wish to see a continued reduction in the number and value of withdrawn products as awareness of compulsory standards increases among traders and manufacturers,” Mr Chizinga said.
He added that some of the withdrawn products had already been disposed of, while others would be destroyed in due course.
Potable spirits, packaged water, dishwashing liquid and electrical fittings such as adaptors, sockets and extension cables were among the most non-compliant products found in many of the areas inspected.
Looking ahead, Mr Chizinga said ZCSA would intensify enforcement and public education efforts in 2026 and beyond. He noted that market surveillance would be conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure sustained compliance with compulsory standards.
He reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to safeguarding consumers by ensuring that all products under compulsory standards are safe.
The briefing was attended by senior ZCSA officials, including Communications and Public Relations Manager Mr Brian Hatyoka, Domestic Quality Monitoring Regional Manager (South) Mr Elias Kansembe and Import Quality Monitoring Acting Manager Mr Kasuba Kasengele, among others.
