A team of UBL staff consisting of the Managing Director Andrew Kilonzo, the Corporate Relations Director Juliana Kagwa, the Supply Chain Director Alfred Balikagira and the Corporate Relations Manager Jackie Tahakanizibwa paid a courtesy visit to the leadership of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards( UNBS) – a crucial partner in the growth of our industry and the development of Uganda.
The team at UNBS consisted of the Executive Director David Livingstone Ebiru, the Deputy Executive Director i/c Standards Patricia Bageine and the Deputy Executive Director i/c Enforcement John Paul Musimami.
UNBS is the government agency tasked with the promotion of the use of standards; enforcing standards in protection of the public health and safety and the environment against dangerous, counterfeit and substandard products while ensuring fairness in trade and precision in industry through reliable measurement systems.
Under our umbrella of Uganda Alcohol Industry Association (UAIA), we have worked with UNBS (as the chair of the Taskforce Against Illicit Trade) to enforce government regulations on public health and safety and the elimination of illicit alcohol trade that (sadly) accounts for more than 70% of the alcohol on the Ugandan market.
According to a Euromonitor International 2021 study, the government of Uganda loses approx.1.6 trillion in unrealized taxes due to evasion of tax by the illicit trade as well as lax enforcement of existing laws that govern the production and sale of alcohol.
MD Kilonzo thanked UNBS for the continued support and guidance to UBL and the sector and appreciated them for reviewing and approving the RTD standard – a key enabler to local production of Ready to Serve products.