Over 80 firms illegally using ZABS certification!

According to the Zambia Bureau of Standards […]

According to the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) 2025 Annual Report, 82 companies were found illegally using the ZABS Certification Mark during compliance inspections conducted across seven provinces in 2025.

 The report, seen by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, further revealed that 24 of the 82 companies have since regularized their status and are now legally certified to use the ZABS mark, while the remaining 58 companies are still undergoing the regularization process. The report further states that ZABS conducted 17 compliance activities during the year as part of efforts to curb the unlawful use of its certification mark and protect consumers from misleading products.

Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times-ZBT, economic expert Samuel Lungu said the illegal use of the ZABS Certification Mark creates unfair competition by allowing non-compliant businesses to avoid certification costs while competing against companies that follow the law.

“The impact is unfair competition and market distortion because the companies that skipped certification saved money on testing, laboratory fees, and compliance, allowing them to undercut compliant manufacturers,” said Lungu.

He warned that the abuse of the certification mark also threatens Zambia’s manufacturing sector. “Why would a compliant company invest in meeting standards if their competitor can just print the ZABS mark and sell cheaper because over time it creates a race to the bottom and kills local manufacturing and jobs,” said Lungu.

 Meanwhile, he added that the misuse of the ZABS mark weakens confidence in Made in Zambia products, particularly as the country seeks to expand exports into COMESA and SADC markets. “The ZABS mark is supposed to be our quality passport, and when buyers in DRC, South Africa, or Tanzania hear that 82 companies were using it illegally, they start to doubt all Zambian products,” said Lungu.

 He told ZBT that consumers and the government also bear hidden costs when companies bypass certification, explaining that unsafe products expose households to risks while enforcement activities consume public resources that could be directed to other development priorities.

 However, Lungu urged the government to make certification more affordable for small businesses while strengthening enforcement through the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). “Standards are an economic issue, not just a technical one, and if we don’t protect the value of the ZABS mark, we are basically telling compliant businesses that honesty doesn’t pay,” he emphasized.

 By Philip Sinkala