UNBS, PSFU in partnership to boost businesses during COVID 19

  6th August , 2021     HITS: 54

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has received ICT equipment worth UGX. 200M from the COVID-19 Economic Recovery and Resilience Response Program (CERRRP) under the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) in partnership with the Master Card Foundation. The equipment was received by the UNBS Executive Director, Mr. David Livingstone Ebiru, at UNBS Standards house in Bweyogerere.

Under CERRRP, UNBS is receiving Support for institutional enhancement of quality & standards management for business sectors involved in the manufacture, importation, and trade of products that are authorized by government as key in the fight against COVID 19.

This is in line with the UNBS mandate of strengthening the economy of Uganda by assuring the quality and export potential of locally manufactured products in regional and international markets.

Some of the activities undertaken by UNBS under the project include:

• Creating awareness among stakeholders of the existing standards in light of COVID 19 pandemic.
• Supporting product certification for 30 businesses mainly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) run by women and youth.
• Purchasing 200 standards and distributing them to beneficiaries
• Stakeholder sensitization meetings for priority sectors (PPEs; Sanitizer; Maize & Beans)
• Stakeholder sensitization  and technical training on Laboratory Recognition Scheme and  & ISO 17025 aimed at building capacity of private laboratories to test products
• Developing new standards in areas that are critical in the fight against COVID 19.
• Simplification and translation of existing standards into information, education and communication (IEC) materials and translating them to 3 languages (Ateso, Luganda and Swahili) and a lot more.

The support of 32 laptops and 4 field rugged laptops is therefore timely to further the Automation of UNBS Service to facilitate remote and online access by MSMES/Private Sector & Other stakeholders during the COVID 19 period.

About UNBS

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a Government Agency responsible for developing, promoting and enforcing of national standards in the protection of Public Health and Safety, and the Environment against harmful and sub-standard products.