The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Eng. Jonard Asiimwe, on Friday conducted his first official visit to the Africa Coffee Park in Ntungamo, reaffirming government’s commitment to innovation and value addition in Uganda’s coffee sector.
The Minister was accompanied by the technical team from the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat, including Under Secretary Mr. Peter Ourien, Mr. Cosmas Mwikirize, Superintendent, Industrial Value Chains Development; Ms. Carthy Muwumuza, Superintendent, Technical Support Services; and Dr. Joshua Isiko, Team Lead, Productivity Acceleration.Â
The visit was part of the Minister’s familiarisation tour of the Science and Technology sector to assess the progress of government-supported innovations.
The delegation was received by Dr. Robert Limlim, Chairperson of the Inspire Africa Board, and Mr. Nelson Tugume, Chief Executive Officer, who led them through the Coffee Park facilities.
The tour began at the Inspire fertilizer processing plant in Nyabihoko, where Inspire Africa Group is using coffee by-products and animal manure to process organic fertilizer.Â
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The minister later visited the Inspire Africa water treatment plant at Kahengye on the Ntungamo-Rukungiri Road. The plant will supply 2 million litres of water per day required for factory production.
The team was also taken through the Park’s advanced processing technologies, including roasting, spray drying, and freeze drying, which are central to the production of high-value coffee products.
While welcoming the Minister, Dr. Limlim thanked Government for the support so far and requested that the industrial electricity line from Mirama Hills to the Coffee Park be expedited.
“Hon. Minister, we thank the Government for the support so far. We have now sorted the issue of water. We are therefore requesting the Government to expedite the electricity line so that we can start industrial-scale production,” said Dr. Limlim.
Mr. Tugume expressed appreciation for the financial support extended to the project and outlined key steps needed for commercialisation.
“We are grateful to the Government of Uganda for its continued support. We are requesting that Government starts to promote consumption of coffee in our schools. While in high school, we took tea every day. Why can’t we now have coffee in our secondary schools on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, because coffee will give the students the energy they need to read,” said Mr. Tugume.
Mr. Tugume further requested Government to promote the Uganda coffee sector by imposing taxes on imported coffee once production of soluble coffee starts.
In his remarks, Hon. Asiimwe commended Inspire Africa Group for its vision and execution of a transformative industrial project, noting its alignment with Uganda’s broader economic ambitions.
“I am here to affirm that H.E. the President has a strong belief in this project and other science projects, and this is why he has deployed me in the sector because I am an innovator,” he stated.
The Minister pledged to task his Department of Technical Support Services to develop a market plan for the commercialisation of Inspire Coffee. Â
He also pledged to introduce a Cabinet policy requiring every government Agency to serve Ugandan coffee, champion the introduction of coffee in secondary schools and expedite the valuation process so that government can acquire a legal stake in the Africa Coffee Park in recognition of the support already extended.
The Minister also addressed over 100 coffee farmers who had gone to visit the park. He pledged support for them through the Africa Coffee Park, including a ready market for their coffee beans.
He further encouraged farmers to build social amenities like hotels to support the growing economy around the park. Â
“Please build hotels and other facilities to support the activities of the Park because this project will be receiving a lot of visitors. We don’t want to leave you behind,” said the minister.
