Kampala — Uganda has not yet developed the necessary capacity to meet the requirements of the World Trade Organisation agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

According to the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Mr Daudi Migereko, Uganda still needs to participate in the international standardisation process to be able to succeed in the international market, which is becoming more competitive each day.

Speaking during an awareness workshop on World Trade Organisation and technical barriers (referred to as TBT) that govern the application of standards in the market place, Migereko said: "Our ability as a nation to effectively implement the WTO/TBT agreement is constrained by a number of factors. We rarely participate in international standardisation and even where we participate, we have no sufficient scientific data to back up our arguments."

The Head of Standards Division Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Mr Patrick Sekitoleko, identified poor application of standards right from the level of manufacturing to production, misinterpretation of standards by the enforcers and lack of capacity to test the products as some of the technical barriers in the East African region.

"Rules are weak, if not, they are poorly drafted to address the needs. Most institutions lack capacity. So, if you can't test the products, then you technically cant inspect," Sekitoleko said.

The workshop, which drew participants from various sectors, was organised by the MTTI and UNBS and sponsored by the East African Community and the German Agency for Metrology (PTB).

It was held at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel on March 28.

The WTO agreement on TBT, establishes a universally acceptable approach for reduction of technical barriers to trade. It advocates the use of either regional or international standards.

The WTO rules make a clear distinction between standards and technical regulations. UNBS was set up with a mandate to formulate national standard specifications for commodities, enforce standards in protection of the public against harmful ingredients.