By Agaba John
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has said as a key promoter of the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU), they have decided to subsidize the cost of implementing standards to enable the private sector build back better and bigger post Covid-19.
Speaking during the commemoration of World Standards Day, UNBS executive director David Livingstone Ebiru said this is in line with their national sub-theme of “building back post Covid-19, the role of standards”
This day is celebrated every 14th day of October and the theme for this year was “Our Shared Vision for a Better World”.
Ebiru elaborated other interventions they undertaken including reduction on the cost of certification permits (Q-Mark) from Shs 800,000 to Shs 500,000/= per annum for MSMEs and to for medium and large enterprises.
He said that they will also be providing free standards and training to enterprises involved in the production of Covid-19 related PPEs such as sanitizers and face masks.
“Partnership with the 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,” he said.
He stated that there will be automation of UNBS core services to enable remote and online access from any location. This has cut down on the cost of moving to UNBS offices to seek such services.
According to Ebiru ,they are currently advocating for voluntary compliance to quality standards by the private sector, because their access to markets outside Uganda is entirely dependent on the quality of products and not necessarily on their price.
He said this has been proven by the number of rejections registered for our products from regional and other international markets.
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