"UNBS to start mandatory certification of products"

All local products that are covered by compulsory standards must be certified with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Distinctive Mark formerly known as the Q-Mark, starting this August. This has been disclosed by the UNBS Chief Executive Ben Manyindo while giving highlights of the bureau’s performance...in Kampala. Manyindo says that the move is to safeguard public health, safety and the environment from products that do not meet the standards. He adds that the move is also aimed at promoting the competitiveness of local products regionally and internationally and to support the Buy Uganda Build Uganda policy. Compulsory standards are those that have safety implications for people and the environment, like standards to do with the processing of food, cosmetics, etc.

According to Manyindo, previously certification of products was done on a voluntary basis but with the new Distinctive Mark Regulations of 2018, all affected products are expected to comply, adding that implementation will be sector-by-sector. On certified products and system permits in the previous year, Manyindo reported that 849 were approved against the set target of 820. But overall, there are just 1,150 permits from 353 companies on the UNBS certification scheme. Some of the standards are for maize grain, maize flour, wheat flour, milled rice, dry beans, green coffee beans and farm tools, among others. In terms of certification by region, Manyindo says products from the North are the least certified, with the bulk of certified products concentrated in central Uganda.