The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has urged Finnish companies to invest in coffee value addition in Uganda, saying it is the surest way for African producers to tap into the lucrative global coffee market.
Meeting with members of the Commerce Committee of the Parliament of Finland, Tayebwa highlighted the imbalance in global coffee earnings, noting that producing countries receive only a fraction of the industry’s vast revenues.
“I want to encourage companies from Finland to come and add value to Ugandan coffee; Africa’s largest coffee exporter,” Tayebwa said.
Citing recent global trade estimates, Tayebwa said the coffee industry generates about $452 billion annually. Of that amount, he said only $25 billion goes to producing countries, with Africa collectively earning about $3 billion.
“It means that all the coffee produced here, in Brazil, Vietnam and elsewhere, brings only $25 billion to producers, while countries that do not grow even one coffee tree take the lion’s share,” Tayebwa said, calling the trend a clear case of economic injustice.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa (right) meets with Vilhelm Junnila, chairperson of Finland’s Committee on Commerce, and his delegation.
The deputy speaker said he is using his role as president of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly and co-president of the OACPS-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly to push for fairer trade terms, including tax reductions on coffee exported to the EU.
“I challenged European leaders during our last meeting. I told them, ‘Why should you impose heavy levies on coffee from Uganda, where it is produced, and yet waive taxes on coffee in Europe?’” he said.
Tayebwa shared his surprise from a recent trip to Milan, Italy, where he found a kilogram of coffee imported from Uganda being sold for 45 euros, far above the local retail price of roughly 3 euros.
The visiting Finnish lawmakers applauded Uganda’s refugee-friendly policies and its spirit of hospitality, saying the country has become a global model in humanitarian response.
“We are very impressed with the work you do on refugees. You offset a big burden,” said Vilhelm Junnila, chairperson of Finland’s Committee on Commerce.
“We are equally impressed with the friendly relationship between our countries, for I know we import coffee from Uganda and export paper materials in return,” he added.
Junnila led a seven-member delegation that had been in Uganda for a week to benchmark parliamentary best practices. They were accompanied by representatives from Finn Church Aid, a Finnish humanitarian organization.