PRESIDENT MUSEVENI BACKS USD200 MILLION NONDA COFFEE PARK PROJECT TO BOOST UGANDA’S COFFEE VALUE ADDITION

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today pledged government support
to the establishment of the Nonda Coffee Park in Nakaseke District, a
landmark agro-industrial project expected to transform Uganda's coffee
sector through large-scale value addition, job creation, and expanded
export markets.

The commitment followed a meeting at State House, Entebbe with a
delegation from Nonda Coffee Park led by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr.
Tonny Miiro Kibuuka, who briefed the President on the progress of the
project and sought additional government support ahead of its
groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for October this year.

The proposed coffee park, located on a 100-acre site in Butalangu Town
Council, Nakaseke District, is projected to become the largest single coffee
processing facility in East and Central Africa. Once completed, the plant will
have the capacity to process 42,000 metric tons of coffee annually, drawing
raw coffee from Uganda’s central region and other coffee-growing areas.

According to Mr. Miiro, the project is part of the Great Uganda-Saudi Coffee
Corridor under the Value-at-Source Coffee Project, Uganda's flagship
private-sector-led industrialization initiative aimed at ensuring that a greater
share of the coffee value chain remains within the country before exports.

“The President has committed his support to this project, particularly in
mobilizing coffee farming households to prepare for the increased demand
for coffee that will be required by the factory,” Mr. Miiro said after the
meeting.

He explained that unlike the traditional model where Uganda exports
largely unprocessed coffee beans, the Value-at-Source initiative seeks to
process coffee domestically, allowing the country to earn significantly more
from its leading export commodity.

The coffee park represents an investment estimated at USD200 million,
making it one of Uganda's largest agro-processing projects.
Mr. Miiro said approximately USD160 million will be invested directly in the
development of the coffee park and related infrastructure on the 100-acre
site in Butalangu.

The Government of Uganda is expected to contribute USD44 million, while
the remaining financing will come from private investors from the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia.

Ready export market:

One of the project’s biggest advantages, according to Mr. Miiro, is that it
already has an established export market. He revealed that the processed
coffee from the facility is earmarked for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under
an existing commercial arrangement.

“This project is already mapped to the off-take market in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. There is a ready market waiting for the coffee because we
are the first Ugandan company to own coffee shops in the Middle East,” he

said, adding that the company currently operates two Ugandan-branded
coffee shops in Saudi Arabia.

The facility is projected to generate annual revenues exceeding USD800
million, significantly increasing Uganda's foreign exchange earnings from
coffee exports.

Construction has already commenced with preparatory works at the site,
and the project is expected to be completed within the next 24 months.
Mr. Miiro said preparations are also underway for the official
groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for October, this year.

“Our purpose in meeting the President was to thank him for the support he
has committed to this project and also to inform him about the proposed
groundbreaking ceremony later this year,” Mr. Miiro said.

The meeting was attended by several senior government officials, including
the Attorney General, Hon. Sam Mayanja; Minister of Finance, Planning
and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi; Minister of Science,
Technology, and Innovation, Eng. Jonard Asiimwe; the Coordinator of the
Islamic Development Funds, Hajji Habib Migadde, and other stakeholders
involved in the implementation of the project.