Daniel Arorwa Urges Media to Champion Enforcement and Standards Literacy at 2026 UNBS Training in Mukono

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), in partnership with TradeMark Africa and funded by UK Aid, has rolled out the 2026 Media Training on Standards and Metrology Reporting, a specialised capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening journalism around quality infrastructure, product certification, compliance and consumer protection.

The training, which commenced on 1st March 2026 in Mukono, is being implemented by Ultimate Multimedia Consult and has attracted selected journalists, editors, digital content creators and social media influencers from across the country.

Understanding the UNBS Mandate

Opening the Mukono session, Mr. Daniel Arorwa, Manager Market Surveillance at UNBS, delivered a presentation on “The UNBS Mandate: An Overview of the Bureau’s Role in Uganda’s Vision 2040.”

Arorwa emphasised that enforcement remains one of the most challenging aspects of regulatory work. He noted that while enforcement officers often face public resentment, a law without enforcement becomes ineffective.

“Enforcement is a difficult job. You can’t do proper marketing because people are bitter with enforcers of the law. But a law without enforcement is a docile law,” he explained.

He called upon media practitioners to familiarise themselves with UNBS Statutory Instruments (SIs) and technical regulations to ensure accurate reporting. He urged journalists to use their platforms to promote standards, quality assurance, health and safety, environmental protection and fairness in trade — not only for the public good but also to safeguard themselves and their families.

Interactive Learning on Day One

As Day One concluded, participants engaged in practical sessions designed to test and expand their understanding of standards and metrology.

Mr. Edward Tumwine led a “Mapping” session — a quick quiz to gauge participants’ current knowledge of metrology and standards. Meanwhile, Ms. Patricia Busingye guided journalists through “Navigating the UNBS Website for Statutory Instruments and Technical Regulations,” equipping them with skills to independently source regulatory information.

The sessions underscored the importance of moving beyond press releases to interrogate policies, technical requirements and compliance frameworks.

Day Two: Deepening Knowledge on Standards and Impact

The training continues on Day Two (2nd March 2026) with a robust lineup of discussions aimed at broadening understanding of standards and their socio-economic impact.

Topics include:

Why Standards Matter: Exploring the link between quality assurance, public health, and international market access.

Metrology for the Masses: Simplifying legal, industrial and scientific metrology, and demonstrating how calibration prevents consumer exploitation.

Reporting on Sensitive Products: Examining standards governing cosmetics, maternal health products and nutritional supplements to protect vulnerable populations.

Standards as Empowerment: Highlighting how certification supports women-led MSMEs and youth entrepreneurs to access regional markets under frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

AI in Quality Reporting: Demonstrating how journalists can use artificial intelligence tools to analyse business and UNBS datasets, simplify technical jargon and visualise quality trends for digital audiences.

Mapping Story Ideas: Identifying credible sources beyond official statements — including traders, consumers and laboratory technicians — to enrich standards reporting.

Strengthening Media’s Role in Uganda’s Trade Agenda

According to Mr. Gerald Busingye Ateenyi, Team Lead at Ultimate Multimedia Consult, the programme attracted over 600 applications, from which 150 media practitioners were selected — 30 participants per district.

The training is being conducted across five districts:

Mukono (1st–4th March 2026)

Mbale (2nd–5th March 2026)

Jinja (4th–7th March 2026)

Gulu (9th–12th March 2026)

Mbarara (9th–12th March 2026)

As Uganda expands its footprint within the East African Community, continental trade frameworks and global markets, accurate reporting on standards and metrology is becoming increasingly critical.

Through this initiative, UNBS and its partners aim to enhance journalistic excellence, promote standards literacy and increase public awareness of quality-related issues that directly affect consumer safety, fair trade and national competitiveness.

The training reflects growing recognition that the media plays a central role in shaping public understanding of standards — not merely as technical requirements, but as tools for economic transformation, consumer protection and sustainable development.