US diplomat visits Africa Coffee Park as Uganda eyes expanded coffee exports

What the report says

US Chargé d’Affaires Mikael Cleverley visited the Africa Coffee Park in Ntungamo District as Uganda looks to increase value-added coffee exports and broaden commercial ties with the United States, according to Nile Post. He toured the 150-acre industrial hub on Tuesday, September 29, with officials from Inspire Africa Group, which operates the project.

During the visit, Inspire Africa Group CEO Nelson Tugume showed the diplomat the park’s roasting, spray-drying and freeze-drying facilities, which are used to make processed coffee products. Tugume thanked the US for earlier USAID support when the company was established in 2017 and said the group wants to expand into the American market, including a proposed coffee shop in Woodstock, Chicago.

The two sides discussed ways to raise Uganda’s coffee sales in the US and strengthen trade and investment ties. Tugume said expansion plans had been slowed by travel restrictions linked to an Ebola outbreak and called for continued dialogue on business travel. Cleverley voiced support for stronger bilateral trade and said better air connectivity could help the movement of people and goods.

The visit fits into broader efforts by Uganda to attract more commercial engagement with the US, especially in agriculture. Nile Post noted that the Africa Coffee Park aligns with Uganda’s National Development Plan IV, which emphasizes value addition in agriculture and strategic crop value chains.