President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has extended an invitation to Algeria to join Uganda in establishing a joint venture aimed at adding value to Uganda's coffee industry.
The President made this proposal during a meeting with a delegation from Algeria on the sidelines of the ongoing G-25 Africa Coffee Summit at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
During the meeting, President Museveni emphasized that Africa, including Uganda, has supported European economies for many years.
However, Western countries have not reciprocated this support.
He stated, "When I buy something from you, I'm supporting your prosperity. We have been using our resources to support Europeans, but when we ask for support and value addition to our coffee, they don't understand."
To address this issue, President Museveni proposed joint ventures, which he believes will enable Uganda to profit more from its coffee industry.
He explained that while the country currently earns around USD2.5 per kilogram of raw coffee, a joint venture could potentially yield up to USD25 per kilogram by adding value.
He expressed that even if Uganda were to earn USD25 per kilogram and allocate a portion to external operations, it would still create a win-win situation, generate more jobs, and benefit both parties.
The delegation led by Tayeb Zitouni, Algeria's Minister of Commerce and Export Promotion, welcomed President Museveni's proposal and expressed their willingness to participate in the joint venture.
Tayeb confirmed that Algerian businesspeople would visit Uganda in September to explore potential cooperation.
He also mentioned their success in importing milk from Uganda and expressed their interest in coffee value addition.
During the meeting, Amb Solomon Rutega, Secretary General of the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (ICAO), conveyed appreciation from coffee-producing African countries to President Museveni for his commitment to promoting the African coffee sector, particularly in terms of value addition.
Emmanuel Lyamulemye, the Managing Director of Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), highlighted the high quality of Ugandan coffees, emphasizing that they have won gold at international competitions.
This quality can help create a strong market for Ugandan coffee.
Besides the delegation from Algeria, the meeting was attended by Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odongo, the Minister of Agriculture, Frank Tumwebaze, and the Vice Chair of Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), Ms Sarah Kagingo.
