Is technology creating a standards loophole in international trade?
A while ago I purchased a pocket projector on an online shopping website in Uganda. The purchase took less than two minutes on my mobile phone, but it was a long 21 days as I eagerly waited for the gadget that would teleport my technological capacity into the modern age to arrive. When my package finally arrived however, the projector was not working.
Unfortunately, I did not test it at the point of collection and when I picked it up I was on my way out of town for work so I could not return it until three weeks later. At this point, I was told that the return window for faulty goods had elapsed and there was nothing that the company could do for me. The frustration I felt in that moment was beyond what words can describe. I cursed technology and the modern age and regretted why I had not just gone to a technology shop on Kampala.
Road and purchased what I needed. This is the story of many people who have used online shopping, even though there are many others with happy endings.
The URA Taxpayers’ Appreciation Week that ended on Friday September 27 had several SMEs showcasing different solutions at Kololo Independence Grounds and being the curious cat that I am, I decided to walk through and see what would catch my eye. After walking through for a while, I bumped into a stall showcasing a company I had always known to be focused on only vehicle inspection, SGS Uganda. Out of curiosity I approached the exhibition table and was greatly surprised to find that the solution being showcased had nothing to do with cars or inspection of them.
The Pre-Export Verification of Conformity Programme being implemented by SGS enables
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to have all the goods coming into Uganda inspected before they are shipped here. My interest peaked as the gentleman explained how the web portal for the potential exporters to Uganda works: how they request for inspection, and how the Certificate of Conformity is issued after goods pass the standards inspection while they are still in the exporter’s country.
Everything is done online with the exception of the physical inspection. UNBS has such confidence in this system of inspection that they renewed the SGS mandate for another 36 months earlier this year. As I left Kololo, I dreamt of an alternate reality where the projector I ordered was inspected in its country of origin before being shipped to me and all I had to do to confirm that it works was to look at the Certificate of Conformity from the inspection.
