National body to assess quality accreditation agencies in the offing

By Juliet Nalwooga

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives is rooting for the establishment of the Uganda National Accreditation Services (UGANAS).

Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde says this will be possible once the Approved Accreditation and Conformity Assessment Bill, 2018 is assented to by the President.

Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Center on Tuesday Morning, Kyambadde said the association will monitor existing national accreditation bodies like the National Drug Authority (NDA) and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) for Ugandan products to be competitive on the international market.

Uganda has for long endured the annual accreditation cost of about $11,000 to countries like South Africa for international accreditation certificates- a cost she says will go down once the national body is in place.

She said Ugandan products like fish have often been rejected by the European Union (EU) market for lack of an international accreditation certificate.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna