The Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) has asked the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to consider developing standards for commonly consumed services like business development.

The appeal was made by Francis Kisirinya, the PSFU’s acting executive director during an interaction with UNBS executive director David Livingstone Ebiru recently.

“This country has no known standards for business development services. The private sector is going to banks daily to access loans but is asked to present documents like business plans and feasibility studies,” Kisirinya said.

UNBS executive director David Ebiru (left) explains something to PSFU acting executive director Francis Kisirinya (right) in one one UNBS laboratories at UNBS head office in Bweyogerere, Wakiso district.

He explained that the private sector has often struggled with such documentation due to a lack of benchmarks and has missed out on financing for business growth as a result.

“They need to be assured of what a document like a business plan should look like,” Kisirinya said, further revealing that they have prioritized about 11 business development services whose standards need to be developed.

“Once this is done, services will get better in the same way we have seen goods,” he added.

Services sector is the biggest contributor to Uganda’s gross domestic product (GDP) ahead of its counterparts like agriculture, industry, and taxes on products.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBoS), the services contributed 43.6% to Uganda’s GDP financial year 2019/20, which was an increase from 43% in 2018/19.

These comprise information and communication activities, public administration professional, scientific, and technical services.

Ebiru said they have of late received increasing demand for the development of services.

“For instance, we have got requests that we develop national standards for expos after the opening of the 2020 Dubai Expo,” he said sending the room into laughter.

Uganda’s stall at the ongoing Dubai Expo received negative publicity after a photo showing a few products placed on the ground went viral on various social media platforms.