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ZCSA, ZANIS seek partnerships

June 20, 2024 | NOTICES

A delegation from the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) led by the Agency’s Inspections Manager – Domestic Quality Monitoring (DQM) Department, Francis Mwelwa, today (20/06/2024) paid a courtesy call on Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) Director, Loyce Saili.

Mr Mwelwa, who was accompanied by ZCSA Acting Manager – Communications and Public Relations, Brian Hatyoka, also toured ZANIS facilities at the Head Office in Lusaka.

Mrs Saili was accompanied by the Editor-in-Chief Rosaria Lubumbashi, Assistant Director – Technical Services Chisha Mutale, and Senior Marketing Officer, Soneni Kafwamba.

ZCSA and ZANIS identified areas of collaboration especially that the two government institutions have offices in all 10 provinces of Zambia.

The two also have a mandate of educating the public especially on unsafe products traded on the Zambian market, among other functions.

During the courtesy call, Mr Mwelwa said ZCSA officers in Lusaka and other provincial centres of the country will work closely with ZANIS headquarters in Lusaka and its provincial offices across the country to educate the public on compulsory standards and unsafe products on the market.

“As ZCSA, we usually do factory inspections and market surveillance inspections to check on compliance of regulated products. During these inspections, some products are usually seized and destroyed. ZANIS officers will be invited to cover some of these enforcement activities in Lusaka and other provinces of Zambia,” he said.

Mr Mwelwa also said ZANIS officers should alert ZCSA officers in all provinces on expired, banned, unregulated or illegal production of products that are posing danger to the health of the public.

“Recently, some people died in Pemba District after consuming a dangerous home-made beer made out of methylated spirit, shoe polish and other ingredients. ZCSA officers in Lusaka and other provinces, alongside the public, must alert us of non-compliant products so that our officers move in swiftly to enforce the law and ultimately protect consumers and the environment,” he said.

Speaking at the event meeting, Mrs Saili outlined a number of media platforms and services that ZANIS offers, adding that the institution is ready to partner with ZCSA to educate the public.

“ZANIS is the only mainstream media organisation in Zambia providing the widest possible professional news coverage through a well-trained cadre of Journalists stationed at the headquarters in Lusaka, regional offices in provinces and districts. Let us work together,” she said.

Ms Saili said ZANIS’s mandate is to interpret Government policies and provide accurate and comprehensive information to the public in order to solicit their support and participation in national development.

This mandate is executed through ZANIS’s Editorial, Technical Services, Research and Information Units.