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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Over 600 students from the College of Business and Management Sciences at Makerere University will, starting Thursday, showcase 300 different innovations with a spotlight on the coffee sector. The innovations have the potential to be scaled into companies and business enterprises, event organisers have said.
The Uganda Entrepreneurship Congress and Youth Expo2025, organised by the Makerere University Entrepreneurship and Outreach Centre, will be held over two days, with this year’s theme being “Brewing Prosperity: Youth Entrepreneurship in Uganda’s Coffee Value Chain”.
By June 2024, Uganda had exported 667,037 kilograms of coffee worth $162.36 million, underscoring its role as a cornerstone of the economy and a key foreign exchange earner. Despite this performance, the majority of Uganda’s youth remain excluded from the coffee value chain, often confined to low-income farm labor with limited participation in processing, branding, and export where the greatest value is captured.
With 78% of Uganda’s population under 30 and categorized as youth, officials say this disconnect represents both a critical risk and an unprecedented opportunity.
According to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, Makerere University is one of the institutions in Uganda with the highest concentration of youth.
Annually, over 10,000 youth graduate from Makerere University to join the labour market. As they plan to transition into the job market, some of them, are hit by the hard reality of unemployment. In Uganda, the youth unemployment rate (those aged 18 to 30) is 16.1% .
To address this issue, Makerere University in partnership with the Government of Uganda, industry and the private sector, has been implementing programmes to unlock the entrepreneurship potential of students and the youth in Uganda.
Through its College of Business and Management Sciences, the entity runs the Makerere University Entrepreneurship and Outreach Centre, committed to shaping Uganda’s next generation of entrepreneurs. The Center brings together members of the entrepreneurship ecosystem to discuss issues that are shaping entrepreneurial activities in the country.
The Uganda Entrepreneurship Congress and Youth Expo at Makerere University will, for the next two days, serve as a national convening platform for youth, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and private sector leaders to unlock youth-driven innovation across the coffee value chain, from climate-smart farming and agritech to processing, branding, and global market access. Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairperson, Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), will be the chief guest.
“By moving beyond subsistence farming towards ownership, innovation, and high value enterprises, the youth in Uganda can secure a greater share of the global coffee market while catalyzing job creation and sustainable development,” an official said.
Dr. Sarah Bimbona, a Lecturer at the College of Business and Management Sciences, and the Director of the Makerere University Entrepreneurship and Outreach Centre, states that during the Congress and Expo, over 600 youth will be equipped with new skills to join and innovate in the coffee industry.
Presentations will include one from Justice Alfonse Chigamony Owiny-Dollo, Chief Justice of Uganda, titled “Youth Entrepreneurship in Uganda’s Coffee Value Chain: A Case of the Acholi Region”.
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PROGRAMME
- 16th October 2025-Uganda Entrepreneurship Congress (8:00am to 3:00pm) at Makerere University Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility Auditorium.
- 17th October 2025-The Innovation and Youth Expo (8:00am to 4:30pm) at Makerere University Freedom Square, featuring youth coffee brands, brewing demonstrations, agritech prototypes, and live cupping sessions.
