Local firms told to target regional markets

By Eddie Ssejjoba                           

Local manufacturers have been tipped to target the bigger Africa regional market by improving and maintaining a higher standard of the quality of their products that should enable them to compete favorably.

The Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Dr. Ben Manyindo said their focus was now shifting to ensuring local manufacturers keep high standards of their products.

He underlined the advantage of doing this, saying improving standards would give local producers an edge over their competition in eastern Africa – and beyond.

The standards body is also looking to boost and support small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing them with technical advice on how they must meet Uganda and international standards.

Dr. Manyindo pointed this out after touring the Harris International Limited foods and beverages factory in Kawempe, a suburb of Kampala.

The new factory manufactures Riham biscuits, soft drinks (sodas) and water.

“We at UNBS need to put in extra effort to enable our local producers to increase and maintain high standards so that they compete well in the bigger market in the region,” he stressed.

He hailed the foods and beverage factory for the US$30million investment and said it would require them to produce in larger quantities in order to satisfy the ever-growing market in the region.

“We have now started moving out to visit the industries that are certified by us to ensure they meet the standards and advise them on the spot, but we also have a bigger program of training SMEs and encourage them to come together in groups,” he explained.

Yasser Ahmad, the chairman of Harris International in Uganda, said they were also targeting the agro-processing industry that would produce juice and plans to employ more workers and benefit more farmers.

Most of the over 700 employees at the factory are women, said the firm’s managing director, Andrew Ruben. And the numbers are expected to rise beyond 5,000 after embarking on the fruit-processing project.

“We shall have the largest food and beverages industry under one roof in the region because we know the market is big.”