Failure to harmonise and enact a full standardisation law is affecting intra trade within the East Africa with Uganda on the spot for stalling the enactment of the EAC Standards Act.

The process is also very slow thereby affecting business as more than half the members are yet to meet the threshold required.

Global and regional trade depends on standards, quality assurance, metrology and testing to establish confidence between customers and suppliers.

Within the EAC, it is the legal structure that is yet to be fully in place further jeopardising trends on standards, quality assurance metrology and testing activities that are essential to improve productivity and ensure social and economic development in the region.

Indeed, the EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva is concerned that despite efforts to ensure legislation on standards, a decision by Uganda is holding the Bill from being enacted thereby stalling the legal process.

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