Uganda moves to curb import of fake goods

By Joyce Namutebi            
    
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is re-introducing a programme intended to curb entry of substandard goods into the country for the safety of consumers, Parliament has heard.

Under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme, certain products destined for Ugandan market will have to be inspected in the country of origin before being shipped to Uganda.

State minister for trade, David Wakikona said the programme resumes June 1, 2013.

He said that the list of categories of goods to be subjected to PVoC programme includes food and food products, electrical and electronic products, cosmetics, mosquito nets and toys.

"The list was derived based on the information on products that have been failing and present the highest risk to the health and safety of Ugandan consumers," Wakikona told the committee on trade on Tuesday in response to queries and concerns raised by MPs on his ministry's budget.

The MPs, among others wanted to know the status of PVoC that had been re- introduced early this financial year, but later halted and what strategies the standards body had put in place to curb locally produced substandard goods since PVoC was aimed at controlling goods coming from outside the country.

The minister explained that UNBS has put in place three strategies to address the problem of substandard goods including market and factory surveillance, and sensitisation of the general public on standards and quality.

He said that under the Product Certification Scheme, products manufactured locally are issued with a UNBS mark to certify that they meet quality standards.

Explaining the PVoC programme UNBS deputy spokesperson, Sylvia Kirabo said they had contracted three international companies namely; SGS, Intertek and Bureau Veritas to do the verification on their (UNBS) behalf.

"These are international bodies that are almost in all these countries where our people get these products," she said.
She explained that when an importer is ready to move after getting his or her products, he or she is required to contact any of the companies to go to his or her container and sample the products, test them where necessary and issue a certificate of conformity. The importer will have to show this certificate to UNBS at the border for his or her container to be cleared into Uganda. The exporter pays for charges to the international company, she said.

The programme, she said, was introduced in 2008, but abandoned after the business community rejected it. It was again re-introduced in December 2012, but they again opposed it, saying they had not been consulted on it.

MPs expressed concern to the minister that over the years the country has realized so little from the Africa Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA) and some of them wanted the trade arrangement scrapped.