President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni wants Algeria to team up with Uganda to make their coffee industry better.
During a meeting at the G-25 Africa Coffee Summit at Speke Resort Munyonyo, President Museveni mentioned that African countries, like Uganda, have been helping out European economies for a long time. But, Europe hasn’t been returning the favor in the same way.
He said, “When we buy stuff from them, we’re helping them do well. But when we want help or to make our coffee better, they don’t get it.”
President Museveni suggested working together to make more money from coffee help both countries.
“Our economic transactions should be mutually beneficial. While we have been aiding European prosperity through our resources, our requests for support and value addition to our coffee industry have not been understood.” he said
The President proposed the establishment of joint ventures, envisioning these collaborations to substantially enhance Uganda’s gains from its coffee sector. He added that this would be a win-win situation, even if they share some money with other countries, it would still make lots of jobs .
He pointed out that Uganda currently earns about USD 2.5 per kilogram of raw coffee.
Algeria’s team, led by Tayeb Zitouni, their Minister of Commerce and Export Promotion said they’re excited to work together and will visit Uganda in September to figure out how to make it happen. They even mentioned an already existing collaboration in importing milk from Uganda, expressing interest in the same with coffee.
The meeting was attended by Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odongo, the Agriculture Minister, Frank Tumwebaze, and Sarah Kagingo from the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) among others.
Coffee is a critical part of the economy and its importance is growing. Over 1.8 million households grow coffee, and coffee contributes nearly a third of the country’s export earnings, paying for critical infrastructure like roads, hospitals, and schools.
As of 2022, a report by the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles declared Uganda Africa’s largest coffee exporter followed by Ethiopia.
According to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, a total of 453,169 60-kilo bags of coffee valued at US$. 73.26 million were exported in May 2023 at an average price of US$ 2.68/kilo.