About Uganda Standards

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What is a standard?
Uganda Standards are nationally agreed upon by a Technical Committee (TC), that consists of technical experts who include Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Manufacturers, Academia, Research Institutions, Sector Associations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Consumer Organisations, etc.  The parties agree on the standard based on consensus which is built on science, technology, and best practices including regulatory and society needs.

Uganda Standards could specify product specifications, manufacturing processes, vocabularies, codes of practice, sampling methodology, test methods, etc. Standards cover a huge range of activities.

These may include the following;

• Food, Agriculture and Forestry Standards which specify food safety requirements to prevent contamination.
• Chemical and Consumer products standards which specify a wide range of quality requirements and specifications for a wide rage –of products that include cosmetics, medical products, chemical products, textiles, leather products, etc.
• Engineering and Construction Standards products which specify a wide range of quality requirements and specifications for products that include building materials, steel products, cement products, machinery, electrical appliances and cables, steel and plastics pipes, hoses, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Wood and Timber Products, etc.
• Services and Business Management Standards which recommend best practices in areas of Management Systems, Conformity Assessment, Environmental Requirements, Occupational Health and Safety, Risk Management, Compliance Management, Information Security, etc.

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) Guide 2, defines a standard as a document established by consensus and approved by a recognised body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context.

The purpose of a standard to create order or a common understanding of a process, a service or a product.

Benefits of using standards

• All parties benefit from standardization through increased product safety and quality as well as lower transaction costs and prices.
• Using standards can offer a set of powerful business and marketing tools for organizations of all sizes.
• You can use them to fine-tune your performance and manage the risks you face while operating in more efficient and sustainable ways;
• Standards help you to demonstrate the quality of what you do to your customers; and help you to determine how to embed best practices into your organization.
• Standards help you to meet regulatory requirements.

Who initiates the development of a standard?

Standards are developed on a demand basis. The need for a new standard can be initiated by any individual such as; a manufacturer, an institution, a consumer or a civil society.  

A new standard is developed when it is realized that there is a need for the standard e.g. a new type of product or a new process that may need to be standardized, regulated or promoted.

If you have identified the need for a standard, please fill in and submit this Form (Preliminary work item (PWI) proposal) or request online at https://support.unbs.go.ug  

What is the role of UNBS?

The role of UNBS is to manage the process of standards development. UNBS does this through internationally recognized best practices. UNBS establishes and supports technical committees and process the draft standards for approval. UNBS also publishes the standards and makes them available to the public.

How are standards developed?

Uganda Standards are developed through technical committees (TCs).

A technical committee consists of representatives of all interested stakeholders and is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area.

TCs bring together interested stakeholders such as manufacturers, traders, consumers, regulators, civil society, and other partners to discuss standards.

UNBS has created 87 Technical Committees

Draft Uganda Standards adopted by technical committees are widely circulated to stakeholders (national and international) and the general public for comments. 

Technical committees review and resolve all the comments received before presenting the final draft standards to the National Standards Council (NSC).  The NSC approves and declares the standards as Uganda Standards.

The process of developing Uganda standards goes through the following stages;

Proposal stage (Stage 1)

The proposal stage is the stage at which the Secretariat receives a proposition for a new Uganda Standard and decides either to prepare a formal New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) for submission to

the UNBS management or not. The proposal may come from industry, government, organisations or individuals. The decision to submit a proposal as work item or not shall be based on an assessment of market  relevance, and cost of development. The TC shall review the proposal and submit it for approval by UNBS management and subsequent formal allocation to a relevant TC or SC considering all interests. The proposal shall then be accorded project status before the secretariat starts the technical work.

Preparatory stage (Stage 2)

The preparatory stage covers the preparation of a WD. An indigenous WD may only be developed by the Project Secretariat should no international or regional standard be readily available for direct

adoption as a CD. Sometimes a working group (WG) may be formed to draft the standards as input into the TC.

Committee stage (Stage 3)

The committee stage is the stage at which comments on the Committee Draft (CD) from the TC are received, and consensus is built for progression of the draft to the enquiry stage. Consensus building

may be by correspondence, but normally a meeting may be arranged.

Public enquiry stage (Stage 4)

The enquiry stage is the stage at which the DUS is circulated for comments (both nationally and internationally) in accordance with WTO/TBT requirements (60 days for indigenous standards and 30

days for adopted international standards).

Confirmation stage (Stage 5)

The confirmation stage is the stage at which after the public enquiry (public comments stage) the TC considers all comments. Once the committee has agreed to the final text of the DUS, all the significant technical changes are included and the DUS is confirmed and elevated to Final Draft Uganda Standard (FDUS) and recommended to the NSC for approval and declaration a US.

Approval and declaration stage (Stage 6)

The approval stage is the stage at which the FDUS is approved by the NSC and declared as Uganda Standard (US).

Declaration of mandatory standards (technical regulations) (Stage 7)

This is the stage at which Uganda standards, whose implementation is viewed as the only way of achieving its objectives, are declared for mandatory application in accordance with the UNBS Act.