Uganda to mark World Accreditation Day 2025 with focus on empowering SMEs
WAD is celebrated annually on June 9, to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation.
KAMPALA, August 13, 2025 — Uganda will join over 100 countries in commemorating World Accreditation Day [WAD] 2025, with this year’s celebrations highlighting the vital role of accreditation in empowering small and medium enterprises [SMEs].
WAD is celebrated annually on June 9, to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation.
Speaking at the Media Centre in Kampala on Wednesday, State Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives [Industry], David Bahati, underscored the significance of accreditation in supporting SMEs to compete effectively in both local and international markets.
“Accreditation: Empowering Small and Medium Enterprises [SMEs]” is the theme of this year’s global event, which is spearheaded by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation [ILAC] and the International Accreditation Forum [IAF]. The theme aims to showcase how a robust quality infrastructure can unlock growth, sustainability, and global market access for SMEs.
“SMEs make up 95 percent of businesses worldwide and contribute over 70 percent of Uganda’s GDP,” Minister Bahati stated. “They employ nearly 90 percent of our workforce, yet they face enormous challenges including market access, high compliance costs, and lack of certification.”
The Minister explained that accreditation gives SMEs a competitive edge by ensuring their testing and certification services meet international standards. This improves consumer and trade partner confidence, reduces product rejection rates, and facilitates smoother entry into regional and global markets.
Bahati pointed to Uganda’s experience at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the country’s beef exports were rejected due to a lack of accredited halal certification. He emphasised that with accreditation, Uganda could potentially boost halal product exports to the Middle East to US$ 1.09 billion by 2030.
Currently, Uganda exports goods worth US$ 6 billion, with agricultural exports accounting for US$ 1.5 billion in 2024. The government projects this could more than double to US$ 3.5 billion by 2030, thanks to expanded accreditation services.
There are over 2,000 testing and certification facilities in Uganda, but only 125 have been accredited—mostly by costly foreign institutions. Maintaining such accreditation costs each facility around US$ 10,000 annually.
To address this, the government established the Uganda National Accreditation Service [UGANAS] through the Accreditation Service Act 2021. UGANAS became an Associate Member of the African Accreditation Cooperation [AFRAC] in May 2024 and now offers services locally from its office in Nakawa or via its website, www.uganas.go.ug.
Minister Bahati revealed that establishing UGANAS is expected to cut accreditation costs by up to 40 percent, providing a major boost for SMEs seeking certification. In addition, UGANAS will begin offering training services locally, reducing the need for Ugandans to seek accreditation training abroad.
“Accreditation is not just a technical matter, it’s an enabler of economic growth, regional integration, and job creation,” the Minister concluded.
World Accreditation Day will be officially commemorated in Uganda later this week, joining a global chorus aimed at promoting quality and trust in international trade.
Accreditation: A Strategic advantage for SMEs
Accreditation confirms the competence, impartiality and consistency of the conformity assessment bodies that provide services to businesses. When SMEs use accredited conformity assessment services, they demonstrate compliance with recognised standards and regulatory requirements. This not only builds trust with customers and stakeholders but also opens the door to global trade through international arrangements such as the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement [MLA] and the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement [MRA], which enable mutual recognition of accredited conformity assessment results across borders.
The benefits for SMEs go beyond market access. Accredited conformity assessment helps minimise business risks, reducing product recalls, preventing costly rework and ensuring compliance with legal requirements. It also contributes to operational efficiencies, cost savings and continuous improvement, helping SMEs grow sustainably and stay competitive in an evolving marketplace.
https://thecooperator.news/unbs-eagc-train-msmes-on-standards-and-quality-control/
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