Uganda Agribusiness Alliance Ltd

UAA Uganda Agribusiness Alliance (UAA) is a non-profit organisation that was incorporated in 2014. It was founded by a group of prominent Ugandans led by Edward Katende and Hon. Victoria Sekitoleko, a former Minister of Agriculture and FAO representative in Zimbabwe, Addis Ababa and Beijing. The UAA Board includes top leaders in agribusiness incubation, national farmer organization, national standards organization, social impact investment, and a former Minister of Finance.

The goal of UAA is to provide a coordinated and unified platform that can ensure intensifications of intra-industry linkages and cooperation for a competitive agribusiness industry in Uganda; it provides a platform for unifying the agribusiness value chains players and ensuring the sector becomes competitive. Over the last two years, UAA has worked closely connecting private and public sector actors to advance agricultural finance through a successful approach using a multi-stakeholder platform that is private sector driven but includes key public sector actors; and by advancing several commodity value chains (Irish potato, avocado, and pumpkin) with which UAA works through hosting multi-stakeholder platforms in which public and private actors work together.

Current corporate members of UAA include the Uganda National Farmers Federation, Network of Organic Growers Movement in Uganda, Horyal Investments (a sugar outgrower and processing company factory), Uganda Development Bank, Uganda Insurers’ Association, Centenary Rural Development Bank, Pride Microfinance Bank, Public Sector Foundation of Uganda, Stanbic Bank Uganda, Delight UG Limited (fruit drink manufacturer), Central Archdiocese Province CARITAS Association, FACTS (an agricultural supply chain finance company).

In addition, there are currently 150 micro and small agribusiness members of the Uganda Platform for Avocado started and coordinated by UAA; 40 members of the Organic Pumpkin Platform; over 4000 farmer, trader and agribusiness members of the Uganda Potato Platform and over 1063 of the same for the National Beef Platform for both of which UAA provides secretariat services; 52 representatives of stakeholder groups in the fresh fruit and vegetable export value chain including farmers, exporters, service providers, government, etc. in a platform for which UAA provides secretariat services.

UAA’s current work includes:

• Leading the national Agricultural Finance Platform, which it serves as Secretariat, in developing Uganda’s first agricultural finance policy and strategy; and in developing investment prospectuses and opportunities for key value chains in Uganda including coffee, oilseeds, and Irish potato
• Developing and serving as Secretariat to other private sector-led multistakeholder platforms, including – platforms for the development of Irish Potato commercial value chain (both a national platform and four regional platforms),
• Platforms for responsible land-based agricultural investments in four Districts of Uganda where innovative land demarcation projects are being developed;
• A national platform of stakeholders dedicated to improving compliance with Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards for export of fresh fruits and vegetables, including conducting a diagnostic mapping of the SPS situation of fresh fruits and vegetables in Uganda and a market study of potential fresh fruit and vegetable exports from Uganda;
• A National Beef Platform and two Zonal (regional) Beef Platforms for development of the commercial beef value chain in Uganda;
• Developing new programs in youth engagement in agribusiness;
• Leading development of innovative efforts to increase agriculture in education.