Standards agency, police collaborate to protect consumers from unsafe products

The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has pledged to collaborate with the police to protect consumers from unsafe products.

ZCSA Acting Inspections Manager, Import Quality Monitoring, Kasuba Kasengele, emphasized that unsafe products pose significant health risks to consumers.

He made these remarks on July 4, 2024, during a meeting with a team of police officers from the Intellectual Property Unit (IPU) Lusaka Division, who were exploring potential areas of collaboration.

Kasengele highlighted that the police were critical stakeholders in the enforcement of compulsory standards.

He added that ZCSA is mandated by section 5 of the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2017 to cooperate with government ministries, state institutions, and international organizations in enforcing compulsory standards.

“The police, being law enforcers, can complement the Agency’s efforts on matters relating to the understanding of intellectual property,” he mentioned.

He acknowledged that the police possess valuable skill sets that enhance the Agency’s mandate of enforcing compulsory standards.

Kasengele commended the police command for allowing the team to visit ZCSA to better understand the Agency’s mandate.

Meanwhile, Zambia Police Lusaka Division Deputy Officer In-Charge of Intellectual Property, Hellen Hikanza, emphasized the importance of discussions around intellectual property (IP), noting that they were crucial for protecting the nation’s economy and consumers.

“No investor would be willing to invest in a country which does not have laws to protect their intellectual property because their investment would not be protected from exploitation,” Hikanza stated.

She pledged her unit’s commitment to working closely with ZCSA to ensure that only genuine products were supplied in the Zambian market.

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