The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has cut on certification costs for enterprises to enable them get certified by the Bureau.
Speaking at the commemoration of the World Standards Day celebrated on 14th October, the Executive Director of the Bureau Mr. David Livingstone Ebiru said that this move was aimed at attracting enterprises to voluntarily certify thier products so that they can get international market.
“The Bureau is currently advocating for voluntary compliance to quality standards by the private sector because thier access to markets outside Uganda is entirely dependant on the quality of products and not necessarily on thier price” he said. To prove his point, he added that a number of rejections for Ugandan products have been registered from both regional and other international markets.
Costs have been reduced for the “Q-mark” label that shows a product has been certified and is of standard.
MSMEs will now part with Ugx500,000 per annum from the previous Ugx800,000 per annum while medium and large enterprises will pay Ugx1,000,000 from the previous Ugx1,300,000.
UNBS will aslo parter with various private sector associations to promote self regulation and voluntary compliance “because These sectors must sustain production of quality products in order to survive and remain competitive”.
Uganda has over the past years faced challenges with quality products where by some were rejected from regional markets such at that of Rwanda and also confiscating and burning of goods worth millions of shillings on the Ugandan market such as harmful skin products.
