Buganda Coffee Firm Seeks Shs5 Billion to Boost Export and Processing Operations

Buganda Kingdom’s coffee company, Mwanyi Terimba Limited, is looking to secure approximately Shs5 billion in working capital to ramp up its coffee purchasing, processing, and export activities. The financial push comes as the firm navigates rising coffee prices and aims to capture a larger share of the lucrative coffee value chain.

Speaking during a meeting at Bulange, Mengo, Dr. Godfrey Ssebaggala Lusiba Sebaka, the vice-chairperson of the board of directors, noted that financing is urgently needed to sustain procurement and meet growing export demands. According to Dr. Ssebaggala, purchasing enough coffee to fill a single 20-foot container costs around Shs300 million. He pointed out that high commercial bank interest rates make traditional institutional financing difficult for the relatively young enterprise.

Initially focused on exporting green coffee to markets in China, the UAE, South Africa, and Europe, the firm is now aggressively expanding into value addition. Plans are underway to establish a coffee processing plant in Wobulenzi, Luweero District, alongside another grading and processing facility in Nakisunga, along the new Jinja Highway. The Buganda Land Board has allocated 3.5 acres for the Nakisunga project, which is being pursued in collaboration with the Uganda Development Bank.

During the same engagement, Buganda Prime Minister (Katikkiro) Charles Peter Mayiga emphasized the importance of productive work and value addition in eradicating household poverty. He challenged the initiative to also promote domestic coffee consumption to strengthen local sales alongside international efforts. The push for capital aligns with broader growth in Uganda’s coffee sector, which recently earned billions from millions of exported bags. Read more details about this development in the Daily Monitor.