Construction of exports testing laboratory starts
Mr Francis Olul, contractor Prisma Limited with MAAIF PS, Pius Wakabi during the contract signing for the construction of the National Metrology Laboratory at MAAIF head offices in Entebbe. Photo by Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- Mr Francis Olul, an official of PRISMA Limited said they would hand over the laboratory after 18 months.
A multi-billion contract to construct the National Metrology Laboratory at Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has been awarded to PRISMA Limited.
The project will cost Shs14.9 billion and it’s funded by the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) in partnership with the African Development Bank under the Agricultural Value Chain Development Programme (AVCP) Project 1.
While handing over the contract at the ministry’s head offices in Entebbe, early this week, Mr Pius Wakabi the MAAIF Permanent Secretary said the project is in tandem with the sector priority of boosting the national import-export substitution position which is one of the requirements for the international accreditation of laboratories.
He said that the equipment in the laboratory is expected to be calibrated to ensure accurate results, reliability and confidence in measurement systems.
“This service is now sourced from other countries such as South Africa and Kenya making the exercise very expensive for business in Uganda. Without international accreditation, the results obtained from our laboratories wouldn’t be recognised internationally which would be a setback for our exports and largely impacts our doing business index,” he said.
The laboratory is intended to ensure that the equipment in the National Food Safety Laboratory and other agro-food processing laboratories in the country are calibrated to
The project is intended to ensure reliable test results to support exports and consumer safety.
He said that the National Metrology Laboratory has a complementary role to the food safety laboratory and direct link to the country’s objective for international accreditation of country’s Food Safety Laboratories.
Mr Wakabi said that through the agricultural value chain development project, the value chain of maize, rice ,dairy and beef in 47 districts spread across the country will be supported to help farmers systematically and sustainably access quality inputs.
Mr Francis Olul, an official of PRISMA Limited said they would hand over the laboratory after 18 months.
The acting Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards Mr David Livingstone Ebiru said the laboratory would ease work in certifying products for exports.
