UNBS outlines achievements for financial year 2016/17

  30th June , 2017 ,       Hits: 337

On June 21st, 2017, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) held a media briefing to highlight achivements for the Financial Year 2016/2017. Below is a summary of the report presented at the media briefing. The media briefing was attended by leading media houses and UNBS staff including Mr. David Livingstone Ebiru, Deputy Executive Director, Management, Mr. John Paul Musimami, Deputy Executive Director, Compliance, and Heads of Departments.   

Compliance Directorate

The report highlights the performance of the Compliance Directorate for the financial year 2016/2017.

Legal Metrology

• Over 580,000 weighing and measuring equipment.
• Use of the Master Meter for the very first time to verify aviation meters.
• 5,000 electricity meters were verified this quarter.

Market Surveillance

• 1090 business outlets were inspected and 183 seizures were made.
• Value of goods seized was UGX 6 billion

Categories of goods seized:

Electrical Appliances: - Portable Sockets (Extension cables, Compact Fluorescent Lamps and bulbs (energy saving bulbs), electrical cables, immersion water heaters, electrical kettles, wall switches and sockets, and flat irons).

Cosmetics: - cosmetics with hydroquinone, nail polish remover, perfumed jelly.

Agricultural inputs: - Machetes (Pangas), hoes and shovels.

Used clothes: - second hand garments; bras and ladies panties, gents’ underwear and ladies brassieres.

Food products: - mineral water/drinking water, juices, cigarettes, assorted expired foods, rice

Steel products: - steel bars, roofing sheets.

Other goods: - mosquito nets.

Import Inspection

• Over 100,000 inspections carried out both internally and externally
• 6,978 non-conforming potentially harmful products denied entry into Uganda
• Rejected consignments so far destroyed amount to UGX 595,384,000/=
• Release Under Seal provide for to protect the public by having items tested before release to the market and also to relieve the traders of any demurrages
• Electronic clearance to follow up on progress of the clearance online and also reduction in the cost of doing business. It also promotes transparency.
• Deepening interagency cooperation with URA

Legal Department

• 60 cases are under investigation and ten convictions have been achieved.

Priority Areas for 2017/18

• Preferential and quick clearance of industrial inputs, industrial machinery, spare parts and raw materials.
• Reduction in cost of doing business through faster clearance: 5 days to 1 day
• Promote self-regulation and co-regulation
• Spur consumption of locally produced goods by reduction of substandard imported products
• Verification of at least 70,000 electricity meters
• Focus on the inspections of electrical appliances, cosmetics, agricultural inputs and pneumatic tyres through market surveillance
• Intensify engagement of stakeholders and increased collaborations with MDA and local governments
• Increased tagging of goods under mandatory standards from the current 340 to 800. The current ultimate target would be 2,500.
• Reduction in the turnaround time for the verification fuel road tankers
• Increased enforcement of the mandatory standards
• Acquisition of a digital rig to intervene in the verification of milk tankers, railway wagons and underground tanks

Standards Directorate

Below is the performance of the Standards Directorate:

Support to MSME’s:

The key priority areas for the directorate was to increase services to Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs). In this respect, below are some of the achievements:

• There were increased services to MSMEs in terms of calibration of equipment and testing of products to meet certification requirements.
• Carried out sensitization meetings to increase the awareness of UNBS services, particularly in certification procedures and standards:
  • Trained about 30 women entrepreneurs under Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Ltd (UWEAL)
  • Training for stakeholders in the oilseeds sector in Jinja organized by ITC/SITA) development.

Promotion of local content:

• Under the Buy Uganda Build Uganda policy championed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC), UNBS has developed a list of standards covering textiles, steel and furniture.
• The directorate is working on new areas for certification which comes with testing and calibration expectations.

Improved Collaboration with Ministries Departments and Agencies:

• Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Project: We are assisting SGR to build capacity in the analysis of steel bars and cement (chemical/compositional analysis) for the project.
• Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA): Worked on certification for ISO 9001 and Laboratory recognition.
• Working with URA and KCCA to enforce standards. 

Improved Service Delivery and Customer Care:

• The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was fully implemented. The status of the analysis of samples is now possible for both internal and external clients. Clients are now able to trace the stage at which the analysis is on.

Priority Areas for FY 2017/2018

1. Support to MSMEs: USSIA; UWEAL; TUNADO;
2. Implementation of BUBU: Testing and Calibration services.
3. Stakeholder Engagement in textiles, furniture, fish nets, Agro-processing equipment manufacturers/assembler (Katwe);