Standards are key component of PDM

With the nationwide implementation of Parish Development Model (PDM), the role of standards is more crucial than ever.

Well aware that the goal of the PDM is to increase household incomes and improve quality of life of Ugandans with a specific focus on the total transformation of the subsistence household into the money economy, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is set as the standards prefect to play the desired role in the successful implementation of the programme.

Of the PDM seven pillars, UNBS has an important role in the production, storage, processing and marketing – which is also the number one pillar. This is because a key component of the UNBS routine mandate rotates around this pillar.

Currently, the UNBS has prioritised standards that are critical in the realisation of the PDM by emphasising the development and promotion of the standards that support key sectors of the economy and act as a catalyst for economic growth.

The priority commodities under PDM such as coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetable oil, maize, rice, sugarcane, fish, dairy, beef, bananas, beans, avocado and shea-nuts, among others, all have respective standards that can be accessed from the UNBS website 

This is particularly important considering that the mandate of UNBS is anchored on the welfare and social economic prosperity of the population.

Further, this was even highlighted in the World Standards Day (October 14), which was celebrated under the global theme: “our shared vision for a better world”.

The day is set aside to recognise and pay tribute to the experts who volunteer their resources in developing standards for a better world.

Standard (omutindo) is technically the minimum requirement, much like a pass mark in an examination. Standards also take into consideration a number of things. For example, food standards will dictate for the food to be safe when eaten or when a product is used, so that it never harms nor kills the consumer. And this already necessitates or even triggers our involvement in the PDM.

From the regulator’s side; UNBS has developed minimum safety requirements for all products to bear. This means, therefore, that every product must have minimum performance requirements, which define its intended purpose and form the basis for building quality.

To date, UNBS has developed 4,548 standards in the areas of food and agriculture, engineering, chemicals and consumer products and management and services at national, regional and international levels.

If standards become part and parcel of PDM as it should be, then it will be much easier for PDM products to access markets nationally, regionally and even internationally. This is already happening with maize value chain. For example, the maize sector, by April 2021, had only 23 certified companies but currently more than 300 companies mainly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have UNBS certification.

UNBS has also decentralised quality infrastructure and other standardisation services to the countryside with functional offices in Gulu, Mbarara and Mbale. This has eased service delivery to our people thus enabling industries, especially MSMEs, businesses and the general public to access standardisation services without necessarily coming to Kampala.

Now it is critical to explore avenues of embracing standardisation in our national policies by highlighting the challenges that Covid-19 has occasioned on both the national and global community, and what actions are necessary to revamp the economy.

Already the rollout of PDM is an important response towards enhancing household income and consolidating value addition. And our pledge as the standard body is that: we cannot wait to play our role in this space—PDM.

Sylvia Kirabo (MCIPR), head of public relations and marketing at Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS)