Gifted by Nature to be revived

The Government of Uganda has resurrected the Gifted by Nature(GBN) logo as a way of promoting Ugandan products under a common mark.

Although it is not entirely clear whether the Gifted by Nature initiative will continue with the previous logo, the New vision newspaper reports that soon, all manufacturers and exporters will be required to have the logo on their goods. According to Janat Mukwaya, Minister of Trade and Industry, the practice would start this year to reinforce the promotion of a positive image and branding of Uganda. What is not clear yet is how this mark will differ from the existing Uganda National Bureau of standards quality mark.

What will be more challenging however will be ensuring conformity with set standards and fighting counterfeits bearing the Gifted by Nature logo.

It would be even more interesting if the Government decided to use the mark as a certification mark for both goods and services. This alone would help fast track the passing of the Trademark marks Bill which is long overdue. According to the Minister of Trade in the article above, Hotels are some of the entities that will may use the Gifted by Nature Logo to market the country. If these efforts come to pass, they will go a long way in enhancing the brand value of Ugandan companies and goods, especially in the services industry that have no explicit protection under the Trademarks Act of Uganda.