Uganda and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have agreed to deepen cooperation on standards and conformity assessment to improve the safety and reliability of electrical and electronic products and support the country’s industrialisation plans.
The agreement was reached on Friday at a Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) breakfast meeting in Kampala attended by IEC Secretary-General and CEO Philippe Metzger, government officials and representatives from industry and technology.
Metzger said international standards were increasingly important to countries seeking to attract investment, expand manufacturing and increase exports.
“Standards are economic infrastructure. They help businesses access markets. They reduce costs and uncertainty,” Metzger said.
He said stronger standards systems would be important to Uganda’s ambition to expand its economy tenfold by 2040 and improve the ability of local businesses to participate in regional and global value chains.
The IEC chief identified agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral-based industrialisation and science and technology among sectors where international standards could support Uganda’s development.
Energy standards
Metzger also highlighted the role of standards in Uganda’s electricity expansion, saying they can help improve safety, reliability and interoperability across power generation, transmission and distribution.
Uganda aims to increase electricity generation capacity from about 2 gigawatts to 8.3 gigawatts and raise electricity access to 85% of the population by 2030.
The IEC said standards would also be relevant to the deployment of renewable energy, energy-efficiency technologies, smart grids, off-grid systems and energy storage.
Uganda has been an associate member of the IEC since 2020. Metzger encouraged the country to make greater use of the commission’s international standardisation networks and technical expertise to strengthen capacity and facilitate trade.
The IEC has a network spanning nearly 170 countries and thousands of technical experts.
The renewed cooperation between UNBS and IEC is expected to strengthen Uganda’s conformity assessment systems and provide greater assurance over the safety, quality and performance of electrical and electronic products in the market.
The partnership comes as Uganda seeks to expand manufacturing, promote innovation and build standards infrastructure to support investment and integration into international markets.
