UNBS reduces certification fees

What you need to know:

  • He also announced a high level stakeholder’s meeting for October 31 that seeks to curb counterfeit and substandard products under the theme; ‘National Risk Assessment and Combating Counterfeit and Substandard Products,’ he said.
  • Mr Issa Sekitto, Kampala City Traders Association spokesperson, urged government to introduce more products with minimum standards.

Kampala. Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has reduced the cost of certification from Shs800,000 to Shs125,000.
This comes after passing the new mandatory certification regulation which came in force on July 1.

Speaking during a briefing early this week, Mr Godwin Muhwezi, the UNBS principal communications manager, told journalists that the standards body was cognizant of the cost that certification bears on businesses and as such reduced it to create an enabling business environment.

“Previously they were certifying products at Shs800,000 for each permit they take. Now we shall be categorising these enterprises on whether they are micro, small or medium,” he said.
The drop in certification prices, Mr Muhwezi said, will apply to small and micro enterprises.
For medium scale enterprises, the price has been reduced to Shs350,000 per product permit.

However, large scale producers it will remain at Shs800,000.
Mr Muhwezi was responding to a question that highlighted concerns by manufacturers who said the high cost of certification has kept away some producers.

Mandatory certification
While in the past manufacturers were entitled to voluntary certification, they will now be required to certify their products.
The move seeks to mitigate substandard products on the market, whose infiltration within the sector is tagged at 54 per cent.
Mr Mike Mukula, the Stop Counterfeit Products Africa patron, said government must strengthen the legal and institutional framework is to fight counterfeit products.

He also announced a high level stakeholder’s meeting for October 31 that seeks to curb counterfeit and substandard products under the theme; ‘National Risk Assessment and Combating Counterfeit and Substandard Products,’ he said.
Mr Issa Sekitto, Kampala City Traders Association spokesperson, urged government to introduce more products with minimum standards.

Minimum standards
Currently, the products with minimum standards include electronics, food stuffs and construction material among others.