Zambia

The Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) is a statutory body established pursuant to the Medicines and Allied Substances Act, No.3 of 2013 of the Laws of Zambia (“the Act”). The Authority is responsible for the regulation and control of medicines and allied substances including regulating and controlling their manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution and sale; establish, maintain and enforce standards relating to the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution and sale of medicines and allied substances; serve and protect the public interest in all matters relating to the sale of medicines and allied substances among other things.

Cosmetics are considered as allied substances under the Act.
Cosmetics are defined as: “any substance manufactured or sold for use in cleansing, beautifying or altering the hair, eyes, teeth, nails or the skin, category of cosmetics provided under section 2 [of the Guideline] and includes deodorants and perfumes.”.

Zambia is a member of COMESA; SADC; and the AfCFTA in Africa. Further afield it belongs to a European Union preferential trade agreement that allows duty- and quota-free acess to markets. Furthermore, the United States of America’s African Growth and Opportunity Act provides further benefits to the country in terms of market access. Following its accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1982, Kenya became a member of the World Trade Organization in 1995.

Furthermore, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) applies that gives the country preferential treatment in terms of exports to certain countries. The GSP’s overall framework and rules are administered by the WTO, with individual countries manageing their own preferences. Countries could include: Armenia; Australia; Belarus; Canada; the European Union; Iceland; Japan; Kazakhstan; New Zealand; Norway; the Russian Federation; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom; and the United States of America.