The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) says it is committed to ensuring that all solar products entering the country meet safety requirements.
Speaking during the official opening of a one-day stakeholder engagement meeting for importers and suppliers of solar products, ZCSA Executive Director, Gerald Chizinga, said the agency remains determined to ensure that consumers are protected from purchasing inferior or substandard solar products.
Mr Chizinga stressed that ZCSA is committed to ensuring that solar energy products available on the Zambian market meet compulsory standards that safeguard the health and safety of consumers and protect the environment.
“As ZCSA, we are committed to ensuring that solar energy products available on the Zambian market meet compulsory standards that safeguard the health and safety of consumers and protect the environment,” Mr Chizinga said.
He stressed that compulsory standards are the backbone of quality assurance, as they provide benchmarks for performance, durability, and safety.
Mr Chizinga stated that through conformity assessment, testing, inspection, and certification, the agency is able to verify that solar products meet the required safety standards before they reach the consumer.
He, however, bemoaned that the rapid increase in solar products on the market has brought challenges that may pose risks to consumer safety and undermine confidence in renewable energy.
Mr Chizinga said that if the situation is left unchecked, it has the potential to undermine the country’s collective efforts to achieve sustainable energy access.
“However, the rapid increase in solar products on the market has also brought challenges that may pose risks to consumer safety, undermine confidence in renewable energy, and hinder our collective efforts to achieve sustainable energy access,” he noted.
The stakeholder engagement meeting for importers and suppliers of solar products is being held under the theme “Enhancing compliance and safety of solar products through standards and conformity assessment.”
