Emyooga saccos engaged in adding value to different products have been urged to get UNBS certification.

This call was made during a training organized by the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) held at Masaka Court Lane Hotel.

The training involved URSB, URA, and UNBS, who educated beneficiaries on adding  value to their products and streamlining their businesses.

According to officials, it is high time saccos that have gone into value addition got their products certified by UNBS and for this to happen, they must have registered with URSB to get certificates and Tax Identification Numbers.

Phiona Nakyazze, the registration officer at URSB Masaka offices said registering  businesses protects their  names from being taken by other people.

"It is very important to register your business first, because of the protection. You protect your business not to be used by any other person and because you might find someone came up with the name and it ends up taken, so it's better to really protect your name," She said.

Nakyazze highlighted that registering businesses not only secures their names but also facilitates obtaining loans from banks.

Additionally, she emphasized that business registration is essential for tax compliance purposes.

"URA will not give you a tip or you will not even get a trading licence if you have not registered your business."

She noted the importance of business registration before branding it.

"It is very important to register your business before you think of branding it because when you brand something when you've not really registered it, it's going to be time wasted . Also, because if you're to brand it and it's not in your name, and the name is taken by someone else, that will be double work. So please first register your business, know that you're the owner and you have  protected your name, then  think of branding  your business to the community," she added.

Hellen Ampumuza, URA domestic taxes officer in Masaka emphasized the need for these small  business to have Tax Identification Numbers(TIN) which help them to declare their taxes.

"So without a TIN, you cannot pay taxes and it's important to be compliant so that you run your business smoothly. There is a responsibility for all of us and if you do not pay taxes, you get interrupted with your work."

Ampumuza added that a TIN is now a requirement in everything to do with life more so in business.

"Now it's a requirement in very many other things when you're importing your goods and bringing them to Uganda. You're not going to do that without it, say you're a small enterprise and you are maybe importing raw materials, you're not going to do that. If you're going to the bank to get a small loan to start your business, you cannot do that without a TIN number everywhere almost now you need it. "

Hajji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi, the RCC Masaka, commended the efforts of MSC in his region, particularly highlighting the transformative impact of the Emyooga program on the lives of youths and women.

He however  raised concerns about political conflicts in the area, noting that these disputes have significantly hindered various government initiatives.

Kateregga implored Sacco members to consider adding value on natural fats and products.

"We have a lot of natural fats here and we are not using them but  we are importing ingredients for that. I think we  should concentrate on our own fats from our  own animal facts here."

Samson Magara, manager of MSC Masaka, highlighted that the Saccos have encountered difficulties accessing markets due to lack of UNBS certification, URSB support, and URA assistance.

He said , to address this, they are organizing training sessions aimed at uniting the Saccos with authorities.

Magara emphasized that through collaboration with URA, URSB, and UNBS, they will facilitate the issuance of certificates to these Saccos at no cost.

Magara revealed that Microfinance Support Centre is looking forward to making these Saccos strong independent institutions.

"As MSC, we are having a programme where we are grooming these Emyooga Saccos to become very strong institutions on their own even without having to rely on government grants. We are hopeful because we are seeing these Saccos have moved from one stage to another and they are growing."

Geoffrey J Kakande, one of the beneficiaries said trainings like these will help them to streamline their businesses.

He thanked MSC for making sure their lives change.