Minister Asiimwe Pledges Government Support for Inspire Coffee

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Eng. Jonard Asiimwe has promised government support for the Africa Coffee Park in Ntungamo District, a value-addition project being developed by Inspire Africa Group. Asiimwe made the pledge on Friday during his first official visit to the site, where he reviewed progress as part of a wider familiarisation tour of science and technology initiatives.

According to the report, the Africa Coffee Park covers 150 acres and is intended to support industrial processing of coffee into products such as instant coffee, beauty products and energy drinks, using technologies including roasting, freeze drying and spray drying. Asiimwe was accompanied by officials from the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat and was received by Inspire Africa Board chairperson Dr Robert Limlim and Inspire Africa Group chief executive Nelson Tugume.

The minister toured related facilities, including an organic fertilizer plant in Nyabihoko that uses coffee by-products and animal manure, and a water treatment plant at Kahengye expected to supply two million litres of water per day for factory operations. Nile Post said Limlim urged government to speed up an industrial power line from Mirama Hills, while Tugume asked authorities to promote coffee consumption in schools and public institutions and consider measures favouring locally made soluble coffee.

Asiimwe directed technical officials to prepare a market plan for commercialising Inspire Coffee and said he would pursue a Cabinet policy for government agencies to serve Ugandan coffee. He also instructed his team to fast-track valuation work that could allow government to acquire a legal stake in the project, and told visiting farmers they would be linked to the facility as coffee suppliers. The project is presented as part of Uganda’s push to earn more from coffee through domestic processing.