By Joseph Bahingwire
The Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Francis Mwebesa has said government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Agro-Industrialization are initiatives intended to stimulate production and value addition.
He emphasized the need for the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) services in various parts of the country to provide quality assurance to enable Ugandans access both the domestic and export markets.
The minister said this while officiating at the opening of the third Food Safety Testing Laboratory for Western Region in Mbarara City recently.
Mwebesa noted that the bureau’s initiative of decentralizing its services nearer to the regional offices will greatly enhance Government’s Industrialization Agenda.
From only 80 factories to close to 5000 currently, the National Resistance Movement government has registered tremendous progress in the industrialization of the country.
Government has established a number of Industrial Parks across the Country to spur agro-industrialization and value addition.
The Parish Development Model was introduced by government to deepen the decentralization process; improve household incomes; enable inclusive, sustainable, balanced and equitable socio-economic transformation; and increase accountability at local levels.
“I urge small business to take advantage of these facilities which should reduce the cost of doing business by eliminating the cost of seeking testing services from central laboratories in Kampala,” Mwebesa noted.
The minister, who was an industrialist before he was appointed into cabinet, argued that product testing and certification was essential to ensure that human and public health is protected.
David Livingstone Ebiru, the UNBS Executive noted that the bureau has already opened similar Food Testing Laboratories to serve Northern Region based in Gulu city and another for Eastern Region based in Mbale City.
He noted that by moving these testing laboratories nearer to the regional offices, the cost of doing business for the majority of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) based in the countryside would reduce as they would not need to travel to Kampala for the services.
Ebiru called for the overall compliance to quality standards of locally manufactured products to improve and be competitive on both the domestic and export markets.
The regional food safety laboratories will provide conformity assessment services to enterprises and industries involved in processing and value addition of both food and non food to ensure that they meet the minimum quality standards before being put on the market.
Such commodities will include among others, Beef, Milk and other Milk Products, Edible Fats and Oils, Water, Honey, Fruits and Vegetables, Grain, Cereals and Cereal products and other Animal Products.
Ebiru thanked the Development Partners for the trust put in the Bureau by committing such significant amount of resources worth 4.4mtowards enhancement of the Bureau’s Quality Infrastructure which are critical in supporting trade and consumption of safe products as well as stimulating economic development through Industrialization, Import Substitution and Export Promotion.
The Danish Ambassador to Uganda His Excellency Signe Winding Albjerg said UNBS Laboratories which were opened in Mbale City and Gulu City have already made impact in reducing the turnaround time of testing products and have increased consumer protection.
She implored urged the Enterprises to take advantage of the new laboratories in Mbarara City to grow their businesses and trade in safe products.
Anna Nambooze, the Trademark Africa Uganda and South Sudan country director, said the project places Uganda in position to utilize the newly created African Continental Free Trade Area market.
The project comes at a time when small businesses have been spending heavily on testing and certifying their products in Kampala.
