The Special Presidential Assistant–Press and Mobilisation, Alhaji Faruk Kirunda has said increased investment in coffee and cocoa value addition and agro-tourism could create jobs, raise household incomes and accelerate economic transformation in Busoga.
Kirunda made the remarks in a speech delivered on his behalf by State House Private Secretary in charge of Education and Skilling, Jimmy Nambiro, during the inaugural Busoga Coffee and Cocoa Tourism Festival at Jinja Showgrounds on Friday, September 18th, 2026.
The three-day festival is being held under the theme, “Brewing Prosperity, Cultivating Heritage: Advancing Coffee & Cocoa Value Chains for Youth Employment and Economic Transformation in Busoga.”
Kirunda said coffee and cocoa should be treated as complete value chains rather than crops for raw sale, noting that opportunities exist in production, processing, packaging, branding, transport and export.
“We should not look at coffee and cocoa merely as crops that are planted, harvested and sold. We should look at them as complete value chains capable of supporting thousands of livelihoods and businesses,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to increase local processing so farmers and businesses can capture more value from their products.
Kirunda also encouraged young people to explore opportunities across the value chain, including agricultural technology, processing, logistics, tourism and digital marketing.
“Do not only ask where you can find employment. Ask what problem you can solve, what product you can create, what service you can provide and what enterprise you can build,” he stated.
On agro-tourism, he said coffee and cocoa farms could become tourism destinations, linking agriculture with hospitality, culture, transport and other local businesses.
Maj Emma Kutesa of State House urged young people in Busoga to make better use of idle family land, particularly for high-value crops.
“Most youth are now in towns yet they have land lying idle in villages. We need that manpower to develop our land,” he noted.
The Festival Organiser, Resty Mbwali said the event was intended to promote commercial agriculture, environmental conservation and tourism as avenues for improving livelihoods in Busoga.
The Festival Coordinator, Christine Nababi said the organisers wanted to diversify the region’s economic base beyond sugarcane and rice.
“People know Busoga because of sugarcane and rice, but we want to change that so that we are known for other lucrative products like coffee and cocoa, as well as agro-tourism,” she said.
Busoga has traditionally depended heavily on agriculture, with sugarcane and rice among its major crops. The festival is seeking to promote coffee and cocoa as additional high-value enterprises while linking agriculture to tourism, value addition and local businesses to create more income and employment opportunities.
