Project Brief
Malawi Bureau of Standards Accreditation Factsheet
Implementation Partners
UK Government (FCDO), European Union, World Bank, Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS)
Implementation Period
2020 - 2024
Project Participants
Primary beneficiaries include exporters and processors in Malawi’s high-value agricultural value chains, notably macadamia and mango, as well as groundnuts, soybeans, and honey.
Funding Partner
$10,000,000
Project Rationale
Malawi’s agricultural exports, particularly macadamia and mango, face stringent international quality and safety requirements that must be met to secure market entry and sustain competitiveness. However, for years, exporters have relied on costly and time-consuming testing services outside the country due to limited local capacity, outdated laboratory equipment, and historical concerns over accuracy and timeliness of results from the Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS). These constraints have contributed to shipment delays, increased certification costs, and, in some cases, rejection of consignments in key export markets. Addressing these challenges is critical to unlocking Malawi’s export potential, enhancing foreign exchange earnings, and positioning the country as a trusted supplier of high-quality agricultural products.
Project Value
The modernisation of MBS’s testing and certification capabilities represents a transformative step for Malawi’s export environment. With ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation now in place—covering critical testing areas such as mycotoxins, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and microbiology—exporters can access internationally recognised certification services locally. This is expected to reduce turnaround times from an average of 17 days to approximately seven, cut testing costs by up to 40% compared to regional laboratories, and significantly improve market access by aligning with the requirements of the markets in European Union, United States, China, SADC and African markets. The initiative directly supports Malawi’s economic diversification and trade growth objectives.
Implementation Partners
The initiative was delivered through a multi-donor, multi-stakeholder partnership:
- UK Government (FCDO), through TradeMark Africa (TMA) under the Malawi Trade and Investment Project (MTIP), provided technical and financial support for laboratory modernisation and accreditation.
- European Union, through the Standards, Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Metrology (SQAM) programme, contributed to quality infrastructure strengthening.
- World Bank, through the Agricultural Commercialisation Project (AGCOM) and the Southern Africa Trade and Connectivity Project (SATCP), supported complementary investments in standards development and testing capacity
- Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) – provided accreditation oversight.
Implementation Strategy
The strategy focused on a comprehensive upgrade of MBS’s conformity assessment systems.
Key interventions included:
- Procurement of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment such as Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).
- Capacity building for MBS staff to meet international testing and certification standards.
- Development of more than 35 national and crop-specific export standards in priority value chains including macadamia, mango, groundnuts, soybeans, and honey.
- Support to secure ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation through the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS).
- The approach was designed to address both technical capacity and exporter confidence, ensuring that improved systems translated into increased uptake of local services.