The Minister of State for Trade, General Wilson Mbadi, has reiterated the government’s commitment to enhancing the decentralization of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) services.
This initiative aims to lower business costs for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and is part of a broader goal to expand the economy from USD 49.5 billion in FY 2023/2024 to USD 500 billion over the next 15 years. General Mbadi made these comments during his first visit to the UNBS Northern region office in Gulu city and the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) in Elegu on Monday.
UNBS Executive Director, Eng. James Kasigwa, highlighted that the Bureau is currently constrained by limited financial and human resources, which hampers its service delivery and potential to generate significant Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) for the government. He requested the Minister’s support in increasing funding and staffing to boost the government’s priority areas of export promotion, import substitution, and industrial growth.
Hon. Mbadi praised UNBS for its achievements despite limited resources and pledged to advocate for increased funding and staffing. In FY 2023/2024, UNBS certified over 5,000 products and supported more than 1,600 MSMEs. The Minister emphasized the need for UNBS regional offices in all ten agro-ecological zones and future industrial parks across the country to enhance product quality and expedite MSME certification.
Currently, the UNBS Northern region office provides certification, testing, and market surveillance services to businesses in West Nile, Lango, Acholi, parts of Karamoja, and recently, Masindi district. UNBS also has regional offices in Mbarara for the Western region and Mbale for the Eastern region. However, essential services like Calibration and Legal Metrology are not yet available in these regional offices.
The decentralization agenda of UNBS aims to Improve Service Delivery Efficiency: By providing certification and testing services locally, MSMEs can avoid the costs associated with traveling to the UNBS Head office in Kampala. With over 90% of enterprises in Uganda being MSMEs, and 60% of these located outside the central region, decentralization is crucial.
Support Enterprise Growth and Standards Compliance: The initiative will facilitate the certification and development of enterprises, particularly the 60% of MSMEs in rural areas, helping them adhere to standards and also to Enhance Competitiveness of Local Products: By improving the quality and compliance of locally manufactured products, the initiative supports export promotion and import substitution, aligning with the Parish Development Model and the National Development Plan IV.
General Mbadi and Eng. Kasigwa also visited the UNBS offices at the Elegu OSBP, where the Bureau conducts import inspections to protect the public from substandard products.
UNBS continues to uphold its mandate of consumer protection, fair trade assurance, and enhancing the competitiveness of Ugandan products in domestic, regional, and continental markets.