Govt appoints three Japanese agents to handle pre-inspection of fairly used vehicles

Government has appointed three Japanese agents to start conducting pre-inspections of second hand vehicles which are imported to Zambia.

The three appointed agents are EAA Company Limited, Auto Terminals Japan and Quality Inspections Companies of Japan, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary, John Mulongoti, said.

Mulongoti said this during the 2023 Annual Review Meeting of the Roadworthiness Inspection (RWI) Programme with the three Japanese agents that had been appointed by government through the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA).

This is according to a statement ssued in Lusaka on Saturday by Faith Chilube, Zambia’s First Secretary for Press and Public Relations in Japan.

He said the three agents had been tasked to follow the agreed standards as they conduct the pre-inspections.

“We have to ensure that before the vehicles are allowed to be driven on the Zambian roads, they need to be fully pre-inspected. we have also learnt that some of the vehicles are accident damaged which poses a threat to the safety of our people,” Mulongoti said.

He said government was committed to the protection of consumers and the environment by ensuring that all second hand motor vehicles imported to the country were roadworthy.

ZCSA Executive Director, Gerald Chizinga, said the Agency would continue on its mandate of enforcing compulsory standards to protect the consumers through inspections both locally and from the countries of origin.

“In line with the compulsory standards Act 3 of 2017 empowers the agency to appoint agents to conduct inspections on behalf of the Agency hence the three appointed Japanese companies,” Chizinga said.

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He added that ZCSA would ensure all motor vehicles being exported to Zambia are compliant with the Zambian Standards so that consumers are potentially protected from potentially unsafe motor vehicles.

Zambia’s Ambassador to Japan, Tobias Mulimbika, explained that the Annual Review Meeting was key in promoting increased trade and cooperation with the Japanese business sector.

Mulimbika noted that the Embassy in Tokyo would continue to engage the three appointed agents to ensure compliance to inspections on the motor vehicles exported to Zambia.

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