Residents living around the Inspire Africa Coffee Park in Rwashamaire, Ntungamo District, have been urged to begin investing in hotels, restaurants, guest houses and coffee production to position themselves for the economic opportunities expected once the multi-billion-shilling coffee processing facility becomes fully operational.
The call was made by the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Eng. Jonard Asiimwe Akiiki, during an inspection tour of the coffee park, where he said government wants surrounding communities to become the first beneficiaries of the investment through employment, business opportunities and increased coffee production.
Asiimwe said he had received concerns from residents asking how they would directly benefit from the project, explaining that while the infrastructure appears complete, work is still ongoing to operationalise the facility.
"I have received calls from people here saying you have not yet benefited from this coffee project. Most of the things here are still under establishment. The buildings may look finished, but we are still developing a lot here," Asiimwe said.
He said the government's immediate priority is to complete the remaining work before rolling out programmes that will directly benefit farmers and neighbouring communities.
"The President is interested in ensuring you people know how you are going to benefit from this coffee. Coffee is one of the best-selling products in the world," he said.
The minister encouraged residents to prepare for increased business activity around the coffee park by investing early in the hospitality sector.
"It is time you constructed hotels. One day we shall have coffee activities here in Rwashamaire. Put up guest houses, establish good restaurants and be part of the people who are going to make money," Asiimwe said.
He also urged farmers to expand coffee production so they can supply the processing plant once it begins operating at full capacity.
Asiimwe said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation would work closely with Inspire Africa through innovation programmes to improve farm productivity and ensure surrounding communities benefit from value addition.
Meanwhile, Inspire Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Nelson Tugume announced that the company is rolling out a farmer traceability programme aimed at improving transparency, productivity and farmers' earnings.
"We are coming to you farmers to implement traceability by putting you on electronic systems so that every farmer's coffee can be tracked and farmers can profit better from it. We have also installed a fertilizer production machine because productivity at the farm level is still low," Tugume said.
He said Uganda must move away from exporting raw coffee beans and instead focus on exporting processed coffee products, in line with President Yoweri Museveni's long-standing call for value addition.
"For years Uganda has been exporting coffee beans. The time has now come to export boxes of processed coffee. We also want Ugandans to drink their own coffee so they understand the quality we are producing," Tugume said.
During the visit, Asiimwe and officials from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation toured the park's coffee processing and manufacturing lines, inspected the organic fertilizer production facility and the project's water source, before planting a coffee tree at the demonstration farm.
He said technology and innovation remain Uganda's competitive advantage, adding that the Inspire Africa Coffee Park demonstrates how value addition can create high-value jobs, boost export earnings and strengthen the country's economy.
