Fresh questions are emerging about the future of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) after General Salim Saleh launched the Uganda Coffee Group, an initiative focused on adding value to Uganda’s coffee. The development has attracted attention because coffee value addition has been among the areas associated with businessman and farmer Odrek Rwabwogo, President Yoweri Museveni’s son-in-law, who has been leading PACEID. The launch has therefore sparked speculation about whether responsibilities in Uganda’s coffee sector are being reshaped.
The questions come amid claims that Rwabwogo has not posted anything on PACEID’s social media accounts for about a month. Although the absence of recent updates does not establish that he has lost his position or that the committee has been sidelined, it has fuelled curiosity among observers following the activities of the presidential initiative. Some are now wondering whether changes are taking place behind the scenes, particularly as another influential figure steps forward with a coffee-focused initiative.
Gen Saleh’s Uganda Coffee Group is drawing attention because of its stated focus on adding value to coffee, a sector considered important to Uganda’s export earnings and agricultural transformation. Rather than relying solely on exporting raw coffee beans, value addition involves processing coffee into products that can attract higher prices and create more opportunities for businesses, farmers and other players along the supply chain. The initiative has consequently raised questions about how it will relate to existing government programmes promoting agro-industrialisation.
For PACEID, the latest development has prompted renewed discussion about its role in supporting exporters, strengthening industrial production and helping Ugandan businesses compete in international markets. Under Rwabwogo’s leadership, the committee has been associated with efforts to promote exports and encourage local enterprises to move towards higher-value production. Coffee has naturally featured in these broader discussions because Uganda is a major coffee-producing country, with significant potential to earn more from processing and branding its products.
The timing of Saleh’s launch has also attracted political attention because of earlier discussions and public speculation surrounding Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s views on government programmes and leadership. Some observers are interpreting the emergence of the Uganda Coffee Group as a possible indication that demands attributed to Muhoozi are being acted upon. However, without a verified statement linking the launch to specific demands by Muhoozi, it would be premature to conclude that the initiative was created to remove Rwabwogo from control of the coffee value-addition agenda.
The relationship between PACEID and the Uganda Coffee Group is therefore becoming a subject of interest. Both initiatives appear connected to the broader objective of increasing the value Uganda earns from its agricultural products, although their precise mandates, leadership arrangements and working relationships need to be established. If their activities overlap, questions could arise over coordination, responsibility and how government-backed efforts are organised to avoid duplication while delivering measurable benefits to farmers and exporters.
For Uganda’s coffee farmers, the bigger issue is whether these initiatives will translate into better prices, improved processing facilities, stronger access to international markets and more jobs. Uganda has long sought to move beyond exporting agricultural commodities in their raw form, and coffee offers considerable opportunities for roasting, packaging, branding and other forms of processing. Any initiative that advances these goals could be significant, but its success will ultimately depend on implementation, investment and the benefits reaching producers.
For now, Gen Saleh’s launch of the Uganda Coffee Group, combined with the reported silence on PACEID’s social media platforms, has fuelled speculation about the direction of Uganda’s coffee value-addition agenda. Whether this signals a change in responsibilities, a complementary initiative or simply a new approach to the sector remains unclear. Until the people and institutions involved clarify the relationship between the two initiatives, claims that Muhoozi’s demands have been implemented or that Rwabwogo has lost control of PACEID should be treated as speculation rather than established fact.
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