It was something of a letdown late last year when as the host country, Ugandan companies did not feature prominently as winners in various categories at the East African Community (EAC) Regional Quality Awards ceremony held at the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala.
Instead, the honours went to companies from Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. According to one official speaking in confidence, one reason for Uganda’s poor showing was that many of the leading local companies did not take the awards seriously enough. Others simply did not bother or were not aware.
At a high-profile dinner in Arusha recently, to officially launch the 2025 edition, EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs,s Annette Ssemuwemba, said, “By recognizing the best practices, this initiative not only enhances consumer confidence, but also motivate businesses to strive for excellence.”
There are five categories;
- EAC Product of the Year: for both Large Enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- EAC Company of the Year: for both Large Enterprises and SMEs
- EAC Service Awards: Divided into (a) Public and (b) Private sectors (applicable to both Large Enterprises and SMEs)
- EAC Exporter Awards: focused on enterprises in the agro-processing sector
- EAC Standardization Excellence Awards: Recognizing outstanding contributions to the adoption and promotion of standards
According to EAC officials, the primary objective of the awards is to foster a culture of quality within the Community by encouraging the adoption of standards and quality management practices by EAC enterprises.
In the case of Uganda, a repeat of last year’s performance will surely raise eyebrows and focus some renewed attention on the Uganda Bureau of Standards (UNBS). According to the Auditor General Report for 2022/23, Uganda’s manufacturing sector is flooded with sub-standard production, as over half of the goods in the domestic market are below quality standards.
The report states: ‘This proliferation of inferior products impacts consumer safety and the competitiveness of Ugandan goods regionally and globally. A key driver is significant gaps in policies, laws, and regulations governing quality assurance and standardization, with inadequate legislation where it does exist and weak enforcement of the established regulations.
A company’s brand reputation is heavily influenced by the quality of the products or services it offers. Participating or even better, winning something in this kind of regional match-up, can earn companies prestige and recognition amongst peers. This also goes a long way in validating your brand. The preliminary stage towards selection for the regional finalists involves a national contest to be overseen by UNBS.
There is no entry fee, but applying companies have to meet certain conditions. The company must be legally registered and operating in any of the EAC Partner States. It must also be implementing a management system or have a valid product certification mark. The UNBS contact person is Sylvia Kirabo: sylvia.kirabo@unbs.go.ug, but further information is available at https://www.eabrandqualityawards.com/
Introduced in 2023 as part of the European Union-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP II), the awards aim to promote a culture of quality, encourage the adoption of standards, and enhance competitiveness and trade among EAC member states.
Other objectives are to stimulate interest in quality management practices and excellence among EAC enterprises, encourage sustainable competitiveness by recognising organisations that excel in adopting international standards, as well as inspire small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
For large enterprises, the goal is to encourage them to pursue continuous improvement and innovation. Winners will be announced during December in Nairobi on the sidelines of the annual EAC Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Trade Fair.
Another condition for entry is that the company complies with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Finally, if applying as a subsidiary or business unit of a larger entity, the unit must operate as a clearly defined, stand-alone business with financial autonomy and independently managed accounts
