The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has introduced an electronic system to speed up the clearance of imported goods and improve monitoring of consignments.
The UNBS ePortal, integrated with the Uganda Revenue Authority’s Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA World), allows importers and clearing agents to track consignments online throughout the clearance process.
Mr Gastone Kironde, the principal inspector for national inspection at UNBS, said the system is intended to improve efficiency and strengthen oversight of inspections.
He said the ePortal has introduced an additional review stage through which inspectors’ assessments and supporting documents are checked before consignments are cleared.
“Before, we had a system where inspectors could inspect and clear consignments without reviewing the quality of the inspections that they were doing. With the new system, it introduced a review layer which has to counter-check what our inspectors on the ground have done and also look at the documentation they have used,” Mr Kironde said.
The system allows importers to open accounts and monitor the progress of their consignments using phones or computers.
Mr Kironde said it will also enable UNBS to monitor inspectors’ turnaround times and automatically clear some consignments that have already undergone pre-export inspection, particularly motor vehicles.
He was speaking on Friday at Jinja City Hall during a sensitisation meeting for importers, clearing agents, traders and other business operators.
Substandard goods
Mr Kironde said UNBS uses the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) programme to prevent goods that do not meet required standards from entering Uganda.
Under the programme, goods are inspected in the country of export and issued with either a Certificate of Conformity or a Non-Conformity Report.
Goods that fail to meet the required standards may be re-exported or destroyed at the importer’s expense.
Mr Kironde said UNBS seizes more than 20 consignments a month for different reasons, although many cases relate to quality rather than safety concerns.
“In a month, we can seize over 20 or 30 consignments, but for various reasons, not specifically for issues related to safety. They could be more on the side of quality,” he said.
He said some products can be reprocessed or corrected, particularly where the problem involves labelling or other quality requirements.
Manufacturers welcome ePortal
Mr Bashir Mawa, the logistics manager at Kakira Sugar Limited and Madhvani Group, said the new system has improved the tracking and clearance of consignments.
“With this new portal, we can first track our shipments. Those days we would have delays in terms of exemptions, but as we speak, we have realised that the turnaround time has improved,” he said.
Mr Mawa said one Kakira consignment was cleared by UNBS in less than 24 hours, which he said demonstrated improved efficiency.
He, however, said network interruptions and inadequate staffing had previously affected operations.
“When there is a network interruption in the country, you find you cannot work efficiently,” he said.
Clearing agents cite delays
Some clearing agents, however, said delays in UNBS clearance remain a challenge despite the new system.
Mr Moses Okwale, a representative of City Forwarders, said importers sometimes wait several days for consignments to be cleared even after submitting the required documents.
He cited delays involving Single Customs Territory entries, saying some importers are forced to make repeated follow-ups.
“You find you are released by URA within one or two or three or five hours, then you wait for one week for UNBS to release,” Mr Okwale said.
He said prolonged delays can affect manufacturers that depend on imported goods and raw materials for production.
Mr Okwale also called for equal treatment of importers, particularly smaller businesses that may struggle to access senior officials when clearance is delayed.
He urged UNBS to ensure the new digital system translates into faster and more predictable clearance for businesses of all sizes.
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