By Aine Denis – Communications Dept, NBRB
The National Building Review Board (NBRB) has concluded a two-day training on the Building Industry Management System (BIMS) for Building Committee members and Building Control Officers from local authorities across Western Uganda.
The training, held at Lake View Hotel, drew 64 participants from 14 Local Governments.
These included Kibaale District, Kiruhura District, Lyantonde District, Mbarara City, Buhweju District, Bushenyi Municipal Council, Bushenyi District and Kanungu District.
Others were Rukungiri Municipal Council, Kyenjojo District, Kyegegwa District, Fort Portal City, Hoima City, and Sheema Municipal Council.
The training forms part of NBRB’s continuous capacity-building programme under its mandate to oversee and promote the effective implementation of the building control framework, in accordance with the Building Control Act.
NBRB continues to support Local Governments in strengthening the administration of building control services through BIMS.
Welcoming participants at the start of the training, the Building Control Officer for Mbarara City, Arch. Byamugisha Dickson, commended NBRB for its continued efforts to strengthen building control through capacity building and digital transformation.
“NBRB’s continued investment in training Building Committees and Building Control Officers reflects a real commitment to strengthening building control across the country,” Byamugisha stated.
“We are glad to host this training in Mbarara. It shows NBRB’s seriousness about equipping local authorities with the tools we need to do our work well.”
Participants engaged with the latest updates to the BIMS platform, including a new requirement for registered professionals to upload application documents directly through the system.
The training equipped participants who had not been actively using BIMS with the practical skills needed to operate the platform effectively.
A hands-on session walked participants through the Developer Portal, giving them a clearer understanding of the application process and strengthening their ability to guide developers and clients within their jurisdictions.
“Understanding these updates firsthand means we can guide developers accurately instead of relying on guesswork,” Byamugisha mentioned.
“Walking through the Developer Portal ourselves means we can now explain the application process to developers step by step.”
“This hands-on session cleared up questions we’ve had about the portal for a long time,” he added.
Participants also worked through the Professional Portal, learning the responsibilities of registered professionals in processing applications under the updated system.
Participants described the sessions as highly interactive and said the practical approach had boosted their confidence in using BIMS to support developers in their local authorities.
The training closed with participants expressing appreciation for the practical approach, which strengthened their confidence in using BIMS and in supporting developers within their respective local authorities.
The BIMS platform reflects NBRB’s drive to digitise building permit processing across Uganda, cutting delays and strengthening compliance with national building standards.
By equipping Building Committees and Building Control Officers with hands-on skills, NBRB is building a more efficient, transparent and accountable building control system in partnership with Local Governments.
NBRB remains committed to its mandate of promoting safe building practices and protecting the lives and property of Ugandans. Safe Building, Better Living.