A delegation of young professionals from Switzerland’s coffee trading sector is visiting Uganda from 14 to 21 March 2026 in a move aimed at strengthening partnerships across the global coffee value chain and deepening understanding of Uganda’s coffee industry.
The visit is organised in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda to the Swiss Confederation and the Swiss Coffee Traders Association (SCTA).
It reflects growing international interest in Uganda’s coffee sector and the country’s long-term development strategy.
Uganda remains Africa’s leading coffee producers and continues to pursue an ambitious vision of expanding production, increasing value addition and strengthening its position in both specialty and commercial coffee markets through the Embassy’s Economic Commercial Diplomacy mandate.
The visit aims to foster stronger connections between coffee professionals in Uganda as a leading coffee exporter and Switzerland as the world’s largest importer and trader of green coffee.
During the tour, the delegation will gain first-hand insight into Uganda’s production systems, sustainability initiatives and policy framework.
During the week-long program, the delegation will engage with farmers, processors, exporters and policymakers while touring coffee washing stations in eastern Uganda’s Mt. Elgon region and in Mubuku.
Delegates will also visit coffee plantations across Eastern and Western Uganda to gain a comprehensive understanding of the value chain—from cultivation and processing to export and international trading.
A key highlight of the visit will be a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) in Kampala on 20 March 2026.
During the meeting, delegates will discuss Uganda’s national coffee strategy, sector priorities, sustainability initiatives and the government’s long-term vision for expanding coffee production and value addition.
By connecting the next generation of coffee traders with producers and policymakers in Uganda, the initiative aims to deepen understanding of the country’s coffee value chain, promote sustainable sourcing and responsible trade practices and encourage long-term partnerships between Swiss traders and Ugandan institutions.
It also seeks to highlight opportunities for investment and value addition within Uganda’s coffee sector.
The engagement also underscores Uganda’s growing emphasis on economic diplomacy and international collaboration to expand markets for Ugandan coffee.
It also builds on recent economic diplomacy activities in Switzerland that introduced Ugandan coffee to Swiss consumers and industry stakeholders through barista demonstrations at tourism exhibitions in Bern and Zurich earlier this year.
The visiting delegation includes professionals from leading global coffee companies and trading houses like Sucafina SA, Ecom Trading, UCC Europe and Louis Dreyfus Company. They represent a diverse group of traders, sustainability specialists, finance professionals and communications experts.
Prior to their departure, representatives of the delegation paid a courtesy visit to the Ugandan embassy in Geneva where they were welcomed by Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka.
The week’s visit marks an important step in fostering deeper cooperation between Uganda and Switzerland’s coffee trading community while supporting the development of the next generation of global coffee leaders.