The Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze, has lauded the significant progress made at the Africa Coffee Park in Ntungamo District. The minister made these remarks on Wednesday during his visit to the coffee park, which was part of his oversight role as the political supervisor of Uganda's coffee sector.
During the tour, Minister Tumwebaze visited key processing units at the park, including the wet and dry mills, roastery, spray-dry and freeze-dry plants, as well as the cosmetics and coffee brew sections. Following the tour, Tumwebaze commended the accomplishments to date and praised Mr. Nelson Tugume, the CEO of Inspire Africa Group, for his vision and dedication in advancing the project.
“I would like to thank Mr. Tugume and his team for the vision and perseverance they've shown throughout this project. The work done here speaks for itself,” Tumwebaze stated.
The Minister also expressed gratitude to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his support of Tugume’s initiative to halt the export of raw coffee, a practice that has long deprived Uganda of jobs and value-added revenue.
Mr. Tugume informed the Minister that the factory has already begun mass production of roasted and ground coffee, coffee capsules, and drip coffee. He also shared that the first export consignment to Somalia was sent out the previous week. “Hon. Minister, the only thing holding us back is the dedicated electricity line to the factory. Work on directly connecting the factory to the Mirama Hills line is ongoing, and once the power is in place, we will immediately begin producing instant coffee,” Tugume explained.
Situated on 150 acres in Ntungamo, the Africa Coffee Park is set to become the largest coffee processing and value-added center in Eastern Africa. The facility utilizes freeze-dry technology to produce instant coffee, as well as beauty products and energy drinks made from coffee.
This project aligns with Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV 2025/2026–2029/2030), which highlights coffee as one of six priority agricultural value chains for industrial development and export growth.