Government Urges UNBS to Speed Up Certification and Support SMEs

By Moses Kidandi, KAMPALA-UGANDA: The government has challenged the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to improve service delivery, speed up product certification and provide stronger support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as Uganda works to strengthen trade and industrial growth. The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Sanjay Tanna, said UNBS must become more efficient in serving businesses while ensuring that substandard products are removed from the Ugandan market.

Tanna made the remarks during a meeting with members of the 10th National Standards Council, together with the Minister of State for Trade, Hon. Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, at the Ministry of Trade headquarters in Kampala. The meeting was part of government efforts to improve the performance of agencies under the ministry and ensure they deliver better services to citizens and businesses.

During the engagement, National Standards Council Chairperson Eng. James Kalibbala reported that the Council had made progress during its first year in office, including clearing inherited backlogs, increasing the number of enterprises certified by UNBS from 501 to 1,270 and strengthening staffing levels at the bureau. “During the year, the budget for the bureau increased from Shs62 billion to Shs130 billion in the financial year 2025/26, which helped us achieve key deliverables, including developing 551 new standards and recruiting an additional 100 staff,” Eng. Kalibbala said.

However, he acknowledged that more efforts are needed to make UNBS more impactful and improve services offered to the public. UNBS Executive Director Eng. James Kasigwa said the bureau had launched its fifth five-year Strategic Plan for the financial years 2025/26–2029/30, which aligns with Uganda’s National Development Plan IV and the Ten-Fold Economic Growth Strategy. He explained that the plan focuses on strengthening industrialisation, promoting exports and supporting import substitution.

Kasigwa also highlighted challenges affecting UNBS operations, particularly funding and staffing gaps. He noted that Uganda has more than 200 official and informal border points, but the bureau is currently able to deploy staff at only 34 points due to limited resources. Minister Tanna said his office had received concerns from SMEs and large manufacturers over delays in product certification and import clearance processes.

He called on the National Standards Council to prioritise businesses by reducing the time required for companies to obtain the UNBS Quality Mark. “I task the National Standards Council to refocus and put more emphasis on supporting the growing enterprises, especially Small and Medium Enterprises, by reducing the time they take to acquire the Quality Mark, preferably to a maximum of two weeks. That way Ugandans will feel the impact of the standards body,” Tanna said.

The minister said an efficient UNBS is critical to Uganda’s ambition of growing the economy from about $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040. “UNBS is a big anchor to achieving this economic growth agenda. The bureau should change the way it operates, do the right things and become more practical,” he said. Tanna pledged government support to help UNBS fulfil its mandate of protecting consumers, promoting industrialisation and facilitating trade.

Gen. Mbadi urged UNBS to improve efficiency, saying many Ugandan businesses have failed to access international markets because they do not meet required quality standards. He advised the bureau to adopt a more supportive approach towards SMEs by guiding and educating them on certification requirements rather than treating them as offenders. “SMEs need support, advice and guidance to meet standards. UNBS should help businesses understand what is required to compete in different markets,” Gen. Mbadi said. The government says strengthening standards compliance will remain a key priority in boosting Uganda’s exports, supporting local industries and creating more opportunities for businesses.