The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, today visited the Africa Coffee Park in Rwashamaire, Ntungamo District, to assess ongoing developments ahead of the forthcoming visit by H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The visit underscores Parliament’s continued commitment to supporting strategic value-addition initiatives that position coffee as a key driver of Uganda’s industrialisation agenda.
Upon arrival, the Deputy Speaker was received and taken on a tour of the Park by the Chief Executive Officer of Inspire Africa Group (IAG), Dr. Nelson Tugume. The tour covered the Park’s comprehensive processing chain, including the Wet Mill, Dry Mill, Spray Dry, Freeze Dry, and Cosmetics production sections. Dr. Tugume also demonstrated how the Park is deploying advanced freeze-drying technology operating at -95°C to produce high-quality soluble (instant) coffee.
During the briefing, Dr. Tugume highlighted progress on major infrastructure projects underway at the Park, including the Coffee Academy, Fertilizer Plant, and an Airstrip that will support coffee tourism and facilitate the movement of high-value exports. He reaffirmed that the 150-acre Africa Coffee Park is on track to become Eastern Africa’s largest coffee processing and value-addition hub, with facilities such as a Convention Centre, Exhibition Centre, and an IT Park.
However, the CEO raised concerns about delays in securing a direct power line from Mirama Hills and a national water connection — setbacks that have slowed the full operationalisation of soluble coffee production. He appealed for expedited action to enable the Park to commence production of Uganda’s first freeze-dried instant coffee.
In response, the Deputy Speaker committed to engaging the responsible ministries to ensure timely resolution of the power and water challenges, stressing the need to eliminate bottlenecks that impede national industrialisation priorities.
The Africa Coffee Park is aligned with Uganda’s coffee value-addition strategy under the 4th National Development Plan (NDPIV 2025/26–2029/30), which identifies coffee as one of the country’s six priority agricultural value chains.
