Prime
Museveni to inspect multibillion coffee hub in Ntungamo
Inspire Africa Coffee Park in Rwashamaire Town Council, Ntungamo District
What you need to know:
- In the FY 2022/2023, the government allocated billions of shillings through the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Secretariat under the Office of the President towards the establishment of a modern industrial coffee park in Rwashamaire Town Council, Ntungamo District.
President Museveni is expected to inspect a multibillion coffee project whose construction works is said to be at about 60 percent completion in Ntungamo District in western Uganda.
Mr Museveni is expected to visit the project site dubbed Inspire Africa Coffee Park on Tuesday (May 21) to monitor and evaluate its progress as well as interact with farmer groups and other project stakeholders.
In the FY 2022/2023, the government allocated billions of shillings through the Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Secretariat under the Office of the President towards the establishment of a modern industrial coffee park in Rwashamaire Town Council, Ntungamo District.
The construction works which started in October 2023, are said to be at 60 perecnt and will be completed by December 2024.
The works are being undertaken by local and international contractors under the supervision of Government of Uganda engineers led by the State House Engineering Unit.
Upon completion, the park will produce instant coffee, drip coffee, malt coffee, coffee energy drinks and coffee beauty cosmetics, according to a statement from the project managers, Inspire Africa Ltd under the stewardship of businessman, Nelson Tugume.
During the second meeting of the G-25 African Coffee Summit held in Kampala in August 2023, leaders from the African coffee-producing countries agreed to push the value-addition agenda and end the export of raw coffee beans.
Since 2023, Uganda has been investing in the coffee value addition chain through the Coffee Investment Consortium Uganda (CICU), to increase export revenue from coffee, create employment opportunities and increase the farm gate prices.
Coffee is currently Uganda’s second-highest export earner after Gold.
Between May 2023 and April 2024, Uganda’s coffee exports surpassed the $1 billion mark for the first time ever. Uganda’s exports fetched $1.02 billion while in the Financial Year 2022/2023, Uganda earned $940.3 million, a 7 percent increase from Financial Year 2021/2022.
