Uganda Surpasses Ethiopia — Becomes Africa’s Largest Coffee Exporter

Kampala/Uganda

A major shift in Africa’s coffee landscape: Uganda has quietly taken the lead as the continent’s biggest coffee exporting country, overtaking Ethiopia, historically synonymous with African coffee.
The rise is attributed to strategic investment in coffee-production, improved value chains, higher yields in robusta & arabica regions, and deeper international marketing. Analysts suggest Uganda’s move is “a quiet but formidable shift”.

Significance:

For farmers & rural economies: Potential for higher incomes, but also pressure to meet export quality standards.

For Uganda’s economy: Coffee is now a stronger foreign-exchange earner; this could help buffer against external shocks.

For urban readers: Pay attention to café culture, coffee-tourism growth, specialty roasters in Kampala may benefit.

Risks & considerations:

Global coffee price volatility could affect margins.

Climate change: Coffee crops are sensitive to rainfall, pest pressures.

Need for value addition locally (roasting, packaging) to capture higher value rather than just raw export.