The Zambia Bureau of Standards Board Chairperson Mbobe Nyondo says there is an urgent need to set up a ZABS regional laboratory on the Copperbelt to enable the testing of products at source especially for minerals. The proximity to the source he said, would provide ease of access by the mines and other stakeholders who may need to access ZABS testing services. He said this when the Minister of Mines and Mineral Development Hon. Paul Kabuswe visited the ZABS stand under the Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry One Stop Shop at the ongoing Copperbelt Agricultural Mining Industrial Networking Enterprise (CAMINEX) in Kitwe.

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.

In response, Minister of Mines and Mineral Development Hon. Paul Kabuswe said there was need for further collaboration with the laboratories at Geological Survey Department under his Ministry, ZRA & ZABS through Inter Laboratory Comparisons. He instructed his Ministry to ensure that this collaboration is strengthened.

The Zambia Bureau of Standards is exhibiting at the CAMINEX under the theme Re-ignite, Rebuild and Renew. The Bureau in the interpretation of the theme commits to rebuilding infrastructure and systems that support standardisation and Quality Assurance services for a competitive industry, through Increasing its technical capabilities, aligning its services to meet industry needs, aligning its processes with international best practices and increasing its service coverage through the opening of regional offices.