Clearing agents trained on using online system

Jun 13, 2015

Clearing agents have been trained on how to use the newly introduced e-portal by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).


By Prossy Nandudu

Clearing agents have been trained on how to use the newly introduced e-portal by Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).

Kassim Omar, the national chairman of Uganda Clearing Industry and Forwarding Association (USIFA), said the system will help clearing agents verify customer documents and certificates online.

In the long run, he said, the cost of doing business will be minimized.

The $100,000 (sh300m) e-portal is a database for all import- and export-related data in Uganda and will be managed by UNBS officers and other stakeholders.

It is a web-based electronic platform for the management of various issues pertaining to the application and clearance of goods.

Previously verification of documents required one to physically move from one place to another, moving documents from office to office which was cumbersome, time wasting and sometimes led to loss of documents.

“Physical verification requires one to move documents but with the e-portal, it means logging onto your computer and filling in an online form and in a short while, clearance will be done,” said Omar.

Since the online platform is open to all government agencies, one can access document at once and move documents in under an hour.

Mathias Kaleebi, the head of Central and Southern ICDS /Entry points import inspection at UNBS explained that the objectives of the e-portal are to increase transparency, reduce paper handling, ease reporting and lead to easy monitoring of business transactions, among others.

 “The whole process has been causing delays but we are now talking of completing a transaction within a period of one hour,” said Patricia Ejalu, UNBS’ deputy executive director.

UNBS still piloting the system with selected clearing agents to eliminate any form of barriers such that when the system is rolled out by the end of 2015, everybody will be on board, explained Ejalu.

Participants were trained on client registration, requesting for inspections, sampling process and sending samples to the lab.

Actioning lab test results, goods release and under seal process, appeal processes, and destruction processes, and more, were also part of the training.

How to log on


Open a web browser through Google Chrome (go to http://www.google.com/chrome) or Mozilla Firefox.

Type the system URL into the address field (ask your technical support team for this) and the browser will display a login screen of IICIMS (and expected results will appear).



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