Uganda Coffee: Africa’s Top Exporter Goes Industrial at UKAIS 2026

Uganda is now Africa’s largest coffee exporter, earning $2.5 billion in the twelve months to February 2026. UKAIS 2026 brings the next phase, value addition, branded coffee and industrial-scale processing, onto the investor table.

Uganda’s coffee sector has shifted gear. Coffee export earnings reached $2.5 billion in the year to February 2026, up from $1.6 billion in the prior period. February 2026 alone saw 651,933 60-kilogram bags shipped, a 17.3% rise year on year. Uganda has now overtaken Ethiopia as Africa’s largest exporter of the commodity.

Production for the 2025/26 marketing year is forecast at 6.88 million 60-kilogram bags, up 2.6% on the previous year, supported by improved seedlings, favourable weather and a national programme offering coffee farmers low-interest loans. Robusta accounts for around 85% of output, with Arabica at 15%, including a fast-growing specialty segment in the high-altitude Mt Elgon and Rwenzori regions.

The Markets. The European Union remains the dominant destination, taking roughly 72% of Uganda’s coffee exports, with Italy and Germany the largest individual buyers. The United States, Morocco, India and China round out the top markets. Exports to China alone grew 63% between May 2025 and April 2026, from 74,000 bags to over 122,000, signalling Asia as the next frontier for Ugandan coffee.

The Structural Shift. Uganda is now actively considering phasing out raw coffee exports in favour of local processing. The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, has urged investors to establish processing plants and long-term partnerships, framing the move as part of a broader push from raw commodity export to industrial value retention. Inspire Africa Coffee is already building Uganda’s first coffee-specific industrial park in Ntungamo District, and Robusta liberalisation since 1992 has created the producer base to feed it.

The Bankable Project. The flagship investment opportunity at UKAIS 2026 is a $48.1M Soluble Coffee Processing Factory at Kampala Industrial Park, Mukono. Uganda has no existing soluble coffee plant. Robusta and Arabica run year-round. The retail margin moves from $1.87/kg green to $15/kg branded, a multiple captured in-country rather than abroad. The project is government-facilitated, PPP or JV structured, and supported by Uganda Investment Authority’s end-to-end investor services.

The UK and India Angle. For UK investors, entry routes are well established. The UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme provides preferential market access for 37 African countries including Uganda. The UK Trade Partnerships Programme is actively supporting Ugandan coffee export competitiveness, alongside English common law, UK bilateral investment treaties, and a deep network of UK-domiciled fund managers, advisers and trade finance providers. India sits inside Uganda’s top five markets and continues to expand, with Indian manufacturing capability and capital well placed to anchor processing partnerships through the UK–India–Africa corridor.

The Summit Connection. The UKAIS 2026 plenary on Agribusiness, Food Systems and Value Addition brings these threads together. Uganda’s Strategic Growth Partner session, led by H.E. Lisa Chesney MBE, British High Commissioner to Uganda, places coffee within the wider Tenfold Growth Strategy targeting GDP expansion from $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040. The Investment Showcase will then put project sponsors directly in front of UK and Indian capital.

Join UK–Africa Investment Summit 2026 to engage with Uganda Investment Authority, processors, off-takers and capital partners shaping the coffee sector’s industrial future.

📅 Friday, 11 September 2026 | ⏰ 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM | 📍 The Royal Horseguards Hotel & One Whitehall Place, London

Register: ukafricasummit2026.eventbrite.co.uk

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