A celebratory mood filled Africa Coffee Park in Rwashameire, Ntungamo District, as President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni presented the Mustard Seed Awards 2025 to six distinguished entrepreneurs and industrialists shaping Uganda’s economic future. The occasion doubled as a milestone in a 40-year growth journey and part of the President’s inspection tour of the vast 150-acre coffee industrial complex designed to lead regional value addition.
The honored business leaders represented diverse sectors tied to logistics, manufacturing, aviation, and environmental innovation, underscoring the private sector’s expanding footprint in national transformation. Their achievements were praised as proof that local and international investors are increasingly aligning with Uganda’s push toward industrial production and export-led growth.
Addressing guests alongside First Lady Janet Museveni, the President pointed to a significant economic shift, noting that the country’s export earnings have now outpaced imports — a development he linked to deliberate efforts in processing and value addition. He said this transition marks a turning point in reducing dependency on exporting raw materials.
Museveni described entrepreneurship as the driving force among the classic factors of production, arguing that enterprise organizes land, labor, and capital into real wealth. He cautioned that Africa must plug economic leakages that prevent the continent’s vast land and population from translating into global economic strength.
Special praise went to Nelson Tugume and the Inspire Africa Coffee team for transforming presidential guidance on wealth creation into a large-scale industrial project. The President highlighted the company’s innovation in converting coffee husks into organic fertilizer, calling it a smart solution that boosts soil quality while tackling agricultural waste.
Janet Museveni emphasized the project’s employment potential and its impact on farming households, saying investments along the coffee value chain are reshaping livelihoods. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa added that the fertilizer plant and coffee tourism venture would strengthen farmer incomes and regional development.
Senior government leaders, including Milly Babalanda and Dr. Monica Musenero, described the initiative as a model of how science, innovation, and patriotic entrepreneurship can merge to fuel national progress. They noted that what began as a simple concern over low coffee prices has evolved into a globally connected enterprise reaching markets across several continents.
Positioned within Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan, the project seeks to raise coffee export earnings dramatically by moving from bulk sales to premium products. After touring the fertilizer facility near Lake Nyabihoko, the President joined supporters at a rally celebrating his recent electoral victory, closing a day that blended industrial ambition with political significance.
