KAMPALA-The 2nd edition of the East African Community (EAC) Regional Quality Awards concluded in Kampala, Republic of Uganda.
The EAC Regional Quality Awards are part of a broad effort to promote an embedded quality culture in East African enterprises to ensure business growth while contributing to sustainable development.
The regional awards ceremony featured nominees who emerged as winners from National Quality Award competitions conducted across the EAC Partner States: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Hon. Mwebesa Francis, Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Republic of Uganda urged the EAC Partner States to be intentional about supporting start-ups and MSMEs as an engine for economic growth and increased employment opportunities, especially for the youthful population.
“We should be deliberate as the EAC region on boosting the competitiveness of MSMEs to thrive in the marketplace by supporting them to implement quality practices.
This will enable us to tap into the AfCFTA continental market valued at GDP of US$2.9 trillion and with a huge market of over 1.4 billion consumers,” he said.
Organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and hosted by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), the EAC Regional Quality Awards are supported through the second phase of the European Union (EU)-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP II), funded by the EU.
On her part, the EAC Deputy Secretary General, Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs, Ms.Annette Mutaawe Ssemuwemba said,
“Quality lies at the heart of competitiveness. The ceremony is a testament to the diversity and resilience of our community.
"We are grateful for the support of the European Union to the MARKUP II program. With a collective commitment to a culture of quality, we can unlock the potential of our region.”
The UNBS Executive Director, Eng. James Kasigwa revealed that as Uganda transitions from National Development Plan (NDP) III to NDP IV, which strongly roots for supporting MSMEs, UNBS is currently implementing a new value proposition aimed at growing quality MSMEs to enhance competitiveness of their products on the market through Export promotion, import substitution and Industrialization.
“Our new value proposition of growing quality MSMEs means that UNBS will handhold MSMEs to meet standards, increase productivity and employment opportunities for the social economic development of Uganda and the EAC member states.
"This is because the more we grow quality MSMEs, the more the economy and the region grows,” Eng. Kasigwa said.
Ag. Executive Director of the East African Business Council (EABC), Mr. Adrian Njau, noted that the EAC Quality Awards exemplify the shared vision of fostering a robust quality culture across the East African Community. Previous studies conducted by EABC have shown that when products comply with standards, it results in regional excellence, an increase in intra-EAC trade by more than 10%, reduced border clearance time to half a day, and enhanced global competitiveness.
These awards provide an invaluable platform for enterprises particularly MSMEs to showcase their commitment to quality, embrace innovation, and overcome barriers to market access.
The awards aim to celebrate excellence in quality, featuring categories such as Company of the Year, Service Company of the Year, and Product of the Year, with recognition given at both the MSME and Large Enterprise (LE) levels.
The winners and runners-up for the EAC Regional Quality Awards 2024 are:
EAC Company of the Year – Small & Medium Enterprises
Winner: CAPS Limited – Tanzania
Runner-up: ISHYO Foods- Rwanda
EAC Company of the Year – Large Enterprises
Winner: Said Salim Bakhresa Company Ltd. – Tanzania
Runner-up: Brookside Dairies Ltd – Kenya
EAC Product of the Year - Small & Medium Enterprises
Winner: PVC insulated non-armoured cable flame retardant & anti-rodent - ASL Wires & Cables – Kenya
Runner-up: ZIMA Pumpkin Extra Virgin Oil - ZIMA Health - Rwanda
EAC Product of the Year - Large Enterprises
Winner: Dairy Best UHT Milk – BROOKSIDE DAIRIES – Kenya
Runner-up: Bwana Sukari (brown sugar) - Kilombero Sugar Ltd – Tanzania
EAC Service Company of the Year – Small & Medium Enterprises
Winner: CAPS Limited – Tanzania
Runner-up: Izere Services & Trading Co. Ltd - Rwanda
EAC Service Company of the Year – Large Enterprises
Winner: University of Embu (UoEm) – Kenya
Runner-up: Prime Insurance Limited - Rwanda
The European Union (EU)- East African Community (EAC) MARKUP II funded by the EU, aims to enhance economic development in the EAC through sustainable intra-African and EU-Africa trade.
Focused on improving livelihoods, employment, and export competitiveness for MSMEs, the programme supports the development of key export-oriented value chains as well institutional support in the six MARKUP II EAC recipient partner countries.
MARKUP II is promoting exports and investment through addressing trade barriers, value addition, quality compliance, trade facilitation and technology transfer.
MARKUP II is implemented by the International Trade Centre in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat and national partners in the recipient countries