The Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) Board Chairperson Mbobe Nyondo says there is urgent need to set up a ZABS regional laboratory on the Copperbelt to enable the testing of products at source especially for minerals.
Speaking when Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Paul Kabuswe visited the ZABS stand under the Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry One Stop Shop at the ongoing Copperbelt Agricultural, Mining, Industrial and Networking Expo (CAMINEX) in Kitwe, Mr. Mbobe said the proximity to the source would provide ease of access by the mines and other stakeholders who may need to access ZABS testing services.
The Zambia Bureau of Standards houses a mineral value chain laboratory in Lusaka where tests are conducted on mineral ores. The laboratory was set up under the Mineral Value Chain Monitoring Project as a joint venture with the Ministry of Mines, the Zambia Revenue Authority and the Zambia Bureau of Standards. The Mineral Value Chain Laboratory is also able to test mineral composition in food, water and other non-food items.
And in response, Mr. Kabuswe said there is need for further collaboration with the laboratories at Geological Survey Department under his Ministry, ZRA & ZABS through Inter Laboratory Comparisons. He has since instructed his Ministry to ensure that this collaboration is strengthened.
