Hand over Ceremony of portable lighting test Equipment to Makerere University

EACREEE through the Energy Efficient Lighting and Appliances (EELA) Project in East and Southern Africa has delivered portable equipment for testing Lighting appliances to Makerere University to support practical training, research and joint use by Makerere University and EACREEE. The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi received the equipment and handed it to the Principal of the College of Engineering Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), Moses Musinguzi. The College will be the custodian of the equipment.

In efforts to ensure compliance with energy efficiency for appliances and equipment in the East African Community, EACREEE through the EELA project has also provided all the Partner states with portable lighting test equipment to reduce substandard lighting products in the market. The portable lighting test equipment will allow screening of lighting products in the market in regards to their compliance with the national regulatory framework and also with the regional minimum energy performance standards developed under the EELA project

African countries specifically the East African region, have become a dumping ground for low-quality and inefficient products, the lighting test equipment serves to reduce and mitigate inefficient appliances banned from other countries in the region. EACREEE has also trained and involved all the Partner States through the Standards Bureaus in the proper and effective utilisation of the equipment to ensure energy-efficient products are accessed in the market within the Partner States

EELA Project is capacitating the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to be the EAC Regional Reference Laboratory for Lighting Testing. The Government of Sweden funds the project through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The project is implemented by UNIDO and executed in the EAC by EACREEE and SADC by SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) to strengthen the capacities of national and regional institutions, testing centres and stakeholder groups in both regions to drive a market transformation towards energy efficient and high-quality lighting and appliances.