BUDAKA DISTRICT : Vice President Jessica Alupo, together with leaders from the Bukedi sub-region, has launched a national campaign to boost coffee and cocoa production as part of efforts to fight poverty.
The initiative, code-named the “National Kibaalo Concepts Awareness Campaign,” aims to raise 80 million coffee and cocoa seedlings through multiplication, which will then be distributed to farmers across the region.
“When you produce millions of bags of coffee and cocoa, it means we shall need factories and industries here to process them for export markets. This will create thousands of jobs that will benefit our people,” Alupo said while representing President Yoweri Museveni at the launch ceremony in Budaka District.
She applauded the initiative and called on the Ministry of Agriculture to strengthen support systems for farmers from planting through to harvest. “Be supportive as we introduce high-value crops into our economy. They should be protected from the time of planting up to harvest,” she said.
Alupo expressed optimism that the initiative could drive industrialization, create jobs, and increase household incomes in the region.
The Vice President emphasized that African societies have historically been highly productive. “When you read accounts by early European travelers to the Great Lakes region, such as Henry Morton Stanley, you will find that they wrote about the wealth they found here,” she said.
She noted that although communities engaged in activities such as growing bananas and sweet potatoes, keeping cattle, and fishing, the economy remained largely pre-capitalist and relied on barter trade (Okuchurika), which was less efficient.
“There were early attempts at using money in the form of cowrie shells (ensiimbi). Even today, in some dialects, money (esente) is still referred to as ensiimbi, reflecting those early efforts to enter a money economy,” she added.
Alupo further explained that when the British colonized Uganda, they introduced a formal money economy based on the shilling. By 1962, she said, only a small segment of the economy was monetized, described in academic circles as an “enclave economy.”
She elaborated that Uganda’s enclave economy was historically based on the “3Cs and 3Ts”: Coffee, Cotton, and Copper; and Tea, Tobacco, and Tourism.
She noted that by 1969, only about 4% of households were part of this formal economy. However, following the 1971 takeover by Idi Amin, much of this system collapsed, with only coffee and tobacco continuing at a minimal level.
Alupo said the government’s long-term goal has been to achieve socio-economic transformation by building a modern, middle-class society supported by a skilled workforce.
To achieve this, Uganda identified four key sectors: commercial agriculture (ekibaalo), manufacturing (industry), services, and ICT. The strategic aim is for every working-age Ugandan to participate in at least one of these sectors, either as an owner or employee.
She added that since 1986, the government has made significant progress through phases including economic recovery, expansion and diversification of export products, and the introduction of a knowledge-based economy driven by science and innovation.
“These achievements have been supported by investments in infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and ICT,” she said.
According to Alupo, Uganda’s economy has grown from USD 1.5 billion in 1986 to about USD 61 billion today, although it remains largely dependent on raw material exports.
“This is why I emphasize that our economy can grow to USD 500 billion by adding value to our raw materials—agricultural products, minerals, forest resources, and freshwater products,” she said.
To support the initiative, leaders also launched the annual Bukedi Coffee Run, aimed at raising funds for seedling production and distribution.
Tororo County North MP-elect Nicholas Owino described the initiative as a major economic shift for the region. “It means Bukedi is finally returning to a monetized economy,” he said.
Bukedi Leaders Forum Coordinator Jona Oboth noted that the annual run will be held over the next ten years to ensure sustained support for seedling production and farmer participation.
“The run will be organized annually for the next ten years as we work to raise these seedlings and more for our farmers,” he said.
Coffee currently contributes nearly 20 percent of Uganda’s export earnings, and leaders in Bukedi believe that, with consistent farmer engagement and government support, the region could become a key agricultural growth hub.
