A delegation of young coffee professionals from Switzerland is visiting Uganda this week in a move aimed at strengthening global coffee trade partnerships and deepening understanding of Uganda’s coffee value chain.
The delegation, in the country from March 14 to 21, 2026, comprises professionals from Switzerland’s coffee trading sector and is visiting under an initiative organised by the Ugandan Embassy to Switzerland together with the Swiss Coffee Traders Association (SCTA).
Uganda is Africa’s leading coffee exporter and the visit reflects growing international interest in the country’s coffee industry and its ambitions to expand production, promote value addition and strengthen its presence in global specialty and commercial coffee markets.
During the week-long tour, the Swiss delegation will engage directly with farmers, processors, exporters and policymakers while exploring different segments of the coffee value chain. The group will visit coffee washing stations in the Mount Elgon region in eastern Uganda and in Mubuku in western Uganda, as well as coffee plantations across the country.
The visits are intended to give the participants first-hand exposure to Uganda’s production systems, sustainability initiatives and policy environment governing the sector.
A key highlight of the program will be a meeting with officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in Kampala scheduled for March 20. During the engagement, the delegation will discuss Uganda’s national coffee strategy, sector priorities and the government’s long-term vision for expanding production and increasing value addition.
Organisers say the initiative is designed to connect the next generation of international coffee traders with producers and policymakers in Uganda. The engagement is expected to promote sustainable sourcing practices and encourage long-term partnerships between Swiss traders and Ugandan institutions.
The visiting team includes professionals from leading global coffee trading companies such as Sucafina SA, Ecom Trading, UCC Europe and Louis Dreyfus Company. The group brings together traders, sustainability specialists, finance professionals and communications experts working in the international coffee market.
Before departing for Uganda, members of the delegation paid a courtesy call on the Ugandan Embassy in Geneva, where they were received by Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka.
Officials say the visit underscores Uganda’s growing emphasis on economic diplomacy and international cooperation to expand markets for its coffee.
It also builds on recent promotional activities in Swiss cities such as Bern and Zurich, where Ugandan coffee was showcased to consumers and industry players through barista demonstrations at tourism exhibitions earlier this year.
The initiative is expected to strengthen trade relationships between Ugandan coffee producers and Switzerland’s coffee trading community while supporting the development of the next generation of global coffee leaders.
