By Najib Mulema
The Agriculture Business Initiative (aBi) has entered into a partnership with the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) and Uganda Coffee Development Authority ahead of the upcoming AFCA Coffee conference.
The AFCA Coffee conference is scheduled to take place at Kampala Serena Hotel from 14-16 February 2018.
The partnership was announced on Monday during a press briefing at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala where aBi contributed a sponsorship package worth shs211 million.
The Chief Executive Officer of aBi, Ms Josephine Mukumbya while addressing the media, said their contribution is meant to facilitate participation of local delegates.
“aBi is proud to be associated with the AFCA conference which brings together all the key actors in the coffee value chain from all parts of the world and our contribution is especially made to facilitate participation of local delegates,” she said, adding, “We are confident that hosting this important international event in Uganda will go a long way in attracting global attention tour coffee and further enhance its competitiveness.”
Mr. Ishak Lukenge, Managing Director of Kampala Domestic Stores and Board Chairman of Africa Fine Coffees Association applauded aBi’s sponsorship and promised that such partnerships will make coffee more viable in the long run.
He said the conference which is expected to attract more than 1,500 delegates will aim at giving a platform to African producers and especially Ugandan coffee producers to show case their potential in coffee production to the rest of the world so as to attract more global markets.
“We shall discuss different coffee trends as well as new technology which will enable farmers improve the quality of coffee thus attracting more markets in different parts of the world,” he noted.
Mr. Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa from Uganda Coffee Development Authority revealed that the three day conference will give chance to speakers from different parts of the world to discuss different topics in the coffee industry.
Apparently, Uganda is the leading exporter of coffee in Africa producing 4.6 million bags annually.
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