Lilongwe, 24 July 2025 – The Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) today hosted an Open Day opening its doors to the public and key stakeholders and showcasing its newly accredited food safety testing services. This milestone marks an important step in Malawi’s efforts to enhance the competitiveness of its agricultural exports—particularly in fast-growing macadamia and mango sectors.
The event was attended by approximately 30 exporters/producers, senior MBS and government officials and representatives from the British High Commission and highlighted MBS’s transformation into a responsive, reliable, and internationally aligned standards authority. It also served to strengthen trust and collaboration with Malawian exporters.
For years, exporters faced costly delays and logistical hurdles because they relied exclusively on laboratories outside Malawi for compliance testing. With MBS now offering ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited services locally, certification turnaround times are expected to about seven days from approx. 17, saving exporters both time and money.
Since 2020, MBS has partnered with TradeMark Africa, with funding from the UK Government, to modernise its testing capabilities. This collaboration has led to the development of over 35 crop-specific export standards and the acquisition of cutting-edge equipment such as Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). These tools enable MBS to test for mycotoxins, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and microbiological contaminants in line with global standards. The European Union and the World Bank have also supported MBS in expediting its accreditation.
The Open Day featured lab tours, technical presentations, and testimonials from exporters who have already benefited from MBS’s upgraded services. Discussions centred on how local testing is unlocking access to premium markets such as the European Union and the United Kingdom. Malawi’s macadamia and mango sectors currently contribute approximately $30 million and $15 million respectively to annual export earnings, with strong potential for growth. Enhanced local certification is expected to further strengthen the country’s position in international markets and increase foreign exchange earnings.
“This is more than just a showcase of upgraded laboratories—it’s a statement of Malawi’s readiness to be a trusted source of safe, high-quality food products. We’re proud to offer exporters, especially in the macadamia and mango sectors, access to internationally accredited testing and certification services right here at home,” said Mr. Stephen Kuyeli, Director of Testing Services at MBS.
Remarking on this feat, Khumbo Chirambo from Malawi Macadamia Association secretariat said: “Our members have relied on sending samples for conformity test outside country resulting in delays and high costs. Now, we are confident that with reliable facilities right here in Malawi, we will certainly save on time and cost for testing our samples.”
On his part, Noel Sangole, Malawi Programme Manager at TradeMark Africa, said; “Reliable, in-country certification is essential for Malawi to remain competitive in global markets. This is now possible with exporters now obtaining test results within a week—right here in Malawi.”
The UK Government reaffirmed its support for Malawi’s ambitions to increase its exports through strategic investments that improve the quality of products and efficiency of trade processes, helping Malawian exporters of high-value agricultural products access global markets.
