Uganda · Certification
ISO 22301 certification in Uganda
Achieve ISO 22301 certification in Uganda with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Accredited certification
- Nairobi office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for ISO 22301 in Uganda
Clients include
ISO 22301 certification in Uganda at a glance
One Ugandan instrument bears on ISO 22301. It does not name the standard. So why do buyers in Uganda keep asking for the certificate?
Continuity duties are already written into Uganda's payment law: the National Payment Systems Act, 2020 requires payment system rules to provide for risk management and business continuity procedures, and the Bank of Uganda can inspect operations to protect safety and efficiency. NITA-U's National Information Security Framework 2026 adds a resilience agenda for critical information infrastructure, and the Minister urged banking, telecoms, energy, transport and health operators to work with government on it. ISO 22301 is not named by either, yet it gives a tested structure: business impact analysis, recovery strategies, plans and exercises. Certificates are issued by certification bodies accredited for the standard, through the Uganda National Accreditation Service where its scope allows or an accreditation body within the international arrangements; Sterling never certifies. Sterling's Nairobi office facilitates analysis and exercises, drawing on 20+ years of practice.
Who needs ISO 22301 in Uganda, and what happens without it
In Uganda the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.
- Payment service providers and system operatorsPayment system rules must provide for business continuity procedures.
- Operators of critical information infrastructureNITA-U's 2026 framework aims to build resilience against emerging threats.
- Telecoms, energy, transport and health operatorsThe Minister urged these sectors to work with government on protecting interconnected digital services.
Not sure which of these applies to you?Answer a short set of questions and your readiness report arrives by e-mail.
Take the ISO 22301 readiness checkISO 22301 requirements in Uganda
Strip away the vocabulary and ISO 22301 requires a company to prove six things about how it keeps operating when something goes wrong.
In Uganda these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: ISO 22301 explained →
How to get ISO 22301 certified in Uganda
One team from the Nairobi office carries the work from scoping to certificate. Clients across Uganda are served from Sterling's Nairobi office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against ISO 22301 and the Ugandan requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before the certification body arrives.
- Certification body stage 1 and stage 2, then surveillanceAn accredited body audits and decides. Sterling supports the audits and the three-year cycle.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does ISO 22301 certification take in Uganda?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Uganda these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Number of critical activities and locations in scope
- Business impact analysis and risk assessment maturity
- Exercising and testing of continuity plans
- Supplier dependencies for critical services
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does ISO 22301 certification cost in Uganda?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the certification body’s audit fees, which are quoted separately. In Uganda these factors move both.
- Number of sites and critical services
- Alternate site or recovery arrangements
- Exercise design and facilitation
- Certification body audit fees quoted separately
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
ISO 22301 consultants and certification bodies in Uganda
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; an accredited certification body then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers ISO 22301 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Uganda are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive ISO 22301 in Uganda (2)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| National Payment Systems Act, 2020 | Does not name ISO 22301 Payment system rules must provide for risk management and business continuity procedures, and the central bank may inspect operations to ensure safety and efficiency. |
| National Information Security Framework (NISF) 2026, NITA-U | Expected in practice The framework seeks institutional resilience and baseline controls for critical information infrastructure; the announcement does not name ISO 22301. |
"Expected in practice" means the instrument asks for the outcomes ISO 22301 covers without naming a standard, and ISO 22301 is what buyers and regulators commonly accept as evidence of them.
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Uganda
Choose a certification body accredited for this standard by an accreditation body within the international mutual recognition arrangements (Global ACI — Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, formerly the IAF MLA), or by the Uganda National Accreditation Service (UGANAS) where its accreditation scope covers the standard; check that the scope covers your sector. UGANAS lists an accreditation scheme for management system certification bodies in line with ISO/IEC 17021, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives stated in 2025 that the testing and certification facilities in Uganda accredited by then held accreditation from foreign accreditation bodies, so ask each body for its accreditation certificate and scope. Edition and transition details: ISO 22301 hub →
Audit language
English is the language of Uganda's Acts of Parliament, regulators' guidance and most business records; interviews with operators or suppliers may need an interpreter for a local language. Agree the audit language, any interpreter and the language of controlled documents with the certification body at application.
Remote and on-site
Document review and some interviews can be remote at the certification body's discretion; operational areas, plants and service locations are normally visited during the stage audits.
ISO 22301 in Uganda: questions clients ask
Do payment providers in Uganda need a business continuity plan?
Yes, in the sense that the National Payment Systems Act requires payment system rules to provide for risk management and business continuity procedures, and the Bank of Uganda can inspect operations. ISO 22301 is not named, but it is a recognised way to run continuity. Confirm what your licence requires with the central bank.
Does NITA-U's framework require ISO 22301?
No. The announcement of the 2026 framework speaks of resilience, assessment tools and baseline controls for critical information infrastructure, without naming ISO 22301. Operators can use a certified continuity system to show how disruption is planned for and tested. Ask NITA-U how the framework reaches your services.
Who certifies ISO 22301 in Uganda?
Continuity certificates come from certification bodies holding accreditation for ISO 22301. That accreditation may be granted by UGANAS, if its scope stretches to the standard, or by a foreign body inside the Global ACI arrangements. Request the accreditation certificate and check it names business continuity. Sterling prepares you but does not certify.
What takes the most time in an ISO 22301 project?
The business impact analysis and the first exercises. Each critical activity needs recovery objectives, and plans need testing with realistic scenarios, such as a system outage or loss of a site, before the audit. Dependencies on suppliers for critical services also need agreed recovery arrangements in writing.
More on ISO 22301 for Ugandan organisations
Other standards Ugandan businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Uganda often combine ISO 22301 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Nairobi office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- National Payment Systems Act, 2020 — bills.parliament.ug (accessed 12 Oct 2026)
- National Information Security Framework (NISF) 2026, NITA-U — nita.go.ug (accessed 12 Oct 2026)
- Uganda National Accreditation Service (UGANAS) — uganas.go.ug; mtic.go.ug (accessed 12 Oct 2026)
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