Ugandan traders warn against feeding South Sudan with expired goods

JUBA – A senior South Sudan official said Ugandan traders are compromising the safety and wellbeing of the people at the border, making the world’s youngest nation a dumping ground for repackaged counterfeit goods.

Speaking during a two-day South Sudan-Uganda business forum, Mary Gordon Muortat, Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), said Ugandan traders have been feeding South Sudan with sub-standard goods.

“We discovered that we are having a very large influx of expired goods coming from all regions of the world, substandard goods as well as counterfeit goods,” Ms. Gordon said.

She said expired goods are harmful to human consumption.

“The Bureau of Standard is playing a very important key to addressing with the business community of Uganda the importance of implementation of the standard,” she said.

“We in South Sudan want to see that the goods coming from Uganda meet the standard and it is a very simple procedure.”

Ms. Gordon said she is working with the Bureau of Standard from neighboring to review the memorandum of understanding in order to ensure the goods brought to South Sudan meet standards.

“We have been facing a very challenging situation and as a result, we run a round signing MoUs with Bureau of Standard especially with our neighboring countries such as Uganda to address the issue,” Ms. Gordon said.

Elly Twineyo Kamugisha, Executive Director of Uganda Export Promotion of Board said they will set up a mechanism to address the importation of counterfeit goods to South Sudan.

“When we are back, we are going to meet with those who are already exporting to South as Uganda Promotion Board working private sector we are going to meet with them,”  said Twineyo.

“We are going to further understand and we will have a thorough discussion with officials from the government of South Sudan to understand this move and I assure you it will be handled.”