Tanna calls for efficiency in UNBS
Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Minister Sanjay Tanna has directed the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to improve their performance and rid the Ugandan market of substandard products. He also urged them to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to easily access product certification services.
The minister said this during a meeting with members of the 10th National Standards Council at the Ministry of Trade offices in Kampala. The meeting, attended by State Minister for Trade Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, is one of the initiatives by Tanna to streamline operations and improve efficiency in the government agencies under his ministry.
The Chairperson of the National Standards Council, James Kalibbala, informed the ministers that in the one year the Council has been in office, they have handled the backlog that they inherited from the previous leadership and increased the number of enterprises certified by UNBS from 501 to 1,270.
The UNBS Executive Director, James Kasigwa, informed the meeting that in the past one year, the Council oversaw the launch of UNBS’ fifth 5-year Strategic Plan for the FY2025/26 to the FY2029/30, which aligns with Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDPIV, targeting the national Tenfold Economic Growth Strategy.
However, Kasigwa noted that the Bureau still faces several challenges, including staffing and funding gaps. He added that with the current staffing and funding, the Bureau can deploy staff only at 34 border points across the country.
Minister Tanna informed the National Standards Council that he received several complaints, especially from SMEs and big manufacturers, citing UNBS’ delays in certification of their products as well as import clearance at borders points.
“I task the National Standards Council to refocus and put more emphasis on supporting the growing enterprises, especially the SMEs, by reducing the time that they take to acquire the Quality Mark,” Tanna said.
He added that UNBS is a big anchor towards achieving Uganda’s goal of expanding the economy from roughly $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040.
Gen. Mbadi emphasised the need for UNBS to improve efficiency, saying the government has secured markets for Ugandan products, but many have failed to access those markets due to failure to meet the required standards.
