UNBS empowers MSMEs in Arua on standards

ARUA: The Uganda National Bureau of Standards on Wednesday concluded a two-day training for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Arua, aimed at strengthening compliance with certification and standards requirements among businesses in the West Nile region.

The training forms part of UNBS’s broader capacity-building strategy to empower MSMEs by equipping entrepreneurs with the technical knowledge needed to meet both national and international standards. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between local production and market readiness, ensuring that products manufactured in the region are safe, competitive, and of high quality.

During the sessions, participants engaged with UNBS experts on standardisation processes, including the procedures for acquiring the distinctive “Q” mark of quality. Business owners from across West Nile also shared challenges related to maintaining consistency, hygiene, and quality control in their production processes.

Facilitators emphasised that compliance with standards should not be viewed as a regulatory burden, but rather as a strategic advantage that enhances consumer trust and opens access to wider regional and international markets.

Participants welcomed the training, commending UNBS for extending such critical support services to the West Nile region. Many described the sessions as timely and practical in addressing the realities faced by small-scale producers.

However, stakeholders called for increased outreach, urging UNBS to further decentralise its sensitisation programmes. They appealed for future trainings to be taken closer to rural communities to tap into the vast potential of entrepreneurs operating at the grassroots level.