By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE CITY
The Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA), the apex umbrella body for all registered cooperatives in Uganda, on Thursday, December 4, 2025, conducted a regional capacity-building training on coffee value chain development and agro-industrialisation for cooperatives.
The training was held at Mbale Courts View Hotel in Mbale City and aimed at strengthening cooperative-led enterprise growth, enhancing value addition, and improving market access for coffee farmers in Eastern Uganda.
The engagement is part of UCA’s broader mandate to build the capacity of its members and is aligned with Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP IV), which seeks to increase coffee production, promote value addition, and expand the participation of producer organisations in structured export markets.
In an interview with our reporter, Ms. Justine Khainza, the Head of Partnerships at UCA, revealed that many cooperatives face governance challenges.
She noted that UCA steps in to conduct sensitisation and equip them with knowledge of key cooperative principles.
“We also encourage cooperatives to bring young people on board because the youth bring in new skills, especially in areas like ICT, and they ensure continuity. We are also emphasising local coffee consumption to boost the domestic market,” she added.
Speaking to our reporter, Faizal Kwita, a Regional Agricultural Officer under the Coffee Development Elgon Team in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, said the meeting aimed at increasing efforts to help farmers maximise production per coffee tree.
“We are also looking at rehabilitation programmes for old coffee trees. Some farmers still have coffee trees that are 20, 30, or even 70 years old, yet they produce very little. This has kept productivity low,” he explained.
Oliver Kishelo of Buuka Women Multipurpose Cooperative in Bulambuli District told our reporter that, farmers in hilly areas face several challenges, including poor road networks, limited access to markets, and lack of financial support. These challenges continue to hinder growth in coffee production and trade among cooperatives in the region.
Mbale Resident City Commissioner (RCC), George William Wopuwa, urged cooperatives to be more strategic, noting that even President Museveni’s message is focused on socio-economic transformation.
