Uganda's roasters get an executive director and a sh5b financing target
By Sandra Nansbuga
Uganda's roasters get an executive director and a sh5b financing target
The Uganda Coffee Roasters Association has appointed Richard Rugaya, of Gorilla Highlands Coffee, as its incoming executive director, with a proposed 2027-2030 strategy that targets Shs1 billion to Shs5 billion in financing for members. Read it as the domestic roasting channel organising commercially, not as a near-term threat to export volumes: UNIDO estimates that about 95% of Uganda's coffee still leaves as green bean.
What did the association actually announce?
Nile Post reported on 15 October 2026 that the board told members Rugaya would pursue a commercial growth strategy, with the 2027-2030 Strategic Brief prioritising higher domestic consumption, new international markets and Shs1 billion to Shs5 billion in member financing. His appraisal is tied to revenue generation, partnership building and market access, and his first year follows a 356-day roadmap of diagnosis, mobilisation and delivery. The association also commits to working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, standards bodies, trade and export agencies and financial institutions. Nile Post noted that details of the financing arrangements and market expansion targets were not provided.
How big is Uganda's roasting sector?
The UNIDO coffee value chain analysis published in 2025 counts 90 registered roasters against about 132 registered coffee-exporting companies, and puts domestic consumption at just 5% of production. The volume sits on the export side: the Uganda Coffee Development Authority's August 2026 report records 737,766 60-kg bags shipped that month worth US$181.7 million at an average of US$4.1 per kilogram, and 8.1 million bags worth US$2.1 billion in the twelve months to August 2026, up 1.6% in quantity but down 5.2% in value. USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service forecasts domestic consumption of 335,000 60-kg bags in marketing year 2026/27.
What this means for buyers
Nothing announced commits capital. A mobilisation target of Shs1 billion to Shs5 billion is a range whose top end does the headline work, with no lender, facility size or disbursement date named, so it should not underwrite a supply plan. The organisational signal matters more: an association with an executive director, a scorecard and a delivery calendar is better placed to work with MAAIF and standards bodies, which is where quality and financing terms get argued.
Three things are worth tracking. Dual-capacity suppliers: an exporter that also roasts can place a clean lot in either a green contract or a domestic brand, so establish which book a grade sits in. Grade competition: domestic roasters sell on cup quality, so their interest concentrates on the clean, well-sorted lots export buyers also want, not the lower grades. Timing: UCDA notes the main harvest in Greater Masaka and South Western Uganda had ended and projects 700,000 bags of exports for September 2026, so nearby availability is committed rather than open.
Documentation is the parallel constraint. Certification checks decide whether a lot clears, and our review of Nigerian hibiscus checks sets out how that works.
What would make the target credible?
Three markers: a named financial institution, a first disbursement, and a member able to show a sale or cost saving it would not otherwise have made. Until the first two appear, treat the strategy as intent, and judge it on disbursements rather than on a roadmap. Supply is also broadening: roughly 500 farmers in Teso are attending coffee establishment training to grow Robusta, a shift covered in our Teso Robusta report.
FAQ
Q: Is the Shs5 billion financing already committed?
A: No. The figure is the top of a Shs1 billion to Shs5 billion mobilisation target in the 2027-2030 Strategic Brief, and the announcement gave no detail on financing arrangements.
Q: Will domestic roasting reduce green coffee available for export?
A: Not at current scale. UNIDO puts domestic consumption at about 5% of production against exports of roughly 95%, and UCDA recorded 8.1 million bags exported in the twelve months to August 2026.
Q: What should a buyer of Ugandan green coffee watch next?
A: A named lender or facility, and evidence that member roasters are bidding for the clean, well-sorted lots that export buyers book. The announcement names neither.
Sources: Uganda Coffee | UNIDO | Nile Post | USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service