Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) director general Bernard Thole says the standards enforcement agency does not exist to police, but to facilitate trade.
Speaking on Monday in Blantyre during the presentation of 351 standards certifications for the 2025/26 fiscal year, he said it was the bureau’s wish to see businesses adopting quality as a culture.
“We want to see standards not as barriers, but as a foundation for growth,” he said.
Thole congratulated the awardees for being “torch-bearers of Malawi’s quality reputation” and urged them to align themselves with African Continental Free Trade Area market standards.
“We need to be export-ready. We are no longer competing among ourselves. We are also competing within the region and beyond,” he said.
In an interview, one of the awardees Melaka Products finance director the Reverend Clement Nkhoma said the certification will solidify the company’s commitment to produce quality products.
“We have already started exploring for markets in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia. With this certification, it will be much easier to expand,” he said.
Msangu Livestock and Foods head of marketing Mwandidalitsa Topola said the certification will help boost customer’s trust in their products.
“We also expect that we will have better chances of exporting our products such as rice, honey and meat products,” she said.
MBS director of quality assurance services Gloria Chaonamwene Mereka expressed hope that the companies will maintain the standards of the certified products.
“Our expectation is that they are going to maintain the quality to ensure that Malawians are safe,” she said.
Among the newly-certified products and services, 18 are based in the North, 172 in the Centre and 159 are from the South.
