Control Union Academy Uganda was officially launched on Thursday at Fairway Hotel in Kampala, according to Red Pepper. The initiative is the learning and development arm of Control Union Uganda and is intended to give farmers, traders and agribusiness professionals the skills needed to meet international quality standards.
The launch brought together representatives from the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU), the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), and coffee and cocoa producers and exporters, Red Pepper reports.
Why it matters
Red Pepper reports that Ugandan businesses have for years fallen short of their export potential because of limited knowledge of international certification requirements, product quality, packaging, sustainability standards and regulatory compliance.
The academy is meant to close those gaps. Organisers say it will offer specialised training, workshops, webinars and capacity-building programmes designed to help businesses comply with international standards and grow sustainably. The stated aim is to become a leading provider of professional learning in Uganda and beyond, supporting businesses that are sustainable, compliant and responsible.
Exporters told to study markets before selling abroad
Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), delivered the keynote address. According to Red Pepper, he told the gathering that exports are central to economic growth and to making Uganda competitive globally, and he praised the academy's founders for addressing a gap in the country's export development efforts.
Rwabwogo argued that no country can transform its economy by serving only its own market, and that Uganda needs to raise export capacity, improve product quality and invest in understanding what international consumers want. He urged businesses to research their target markets before exporting and to make sure their goods meet standards for quality, packaging and presentation.
He also called for stronger trade representation abroad, proposing that independent private-sector players be more involved in finding buyers, linking producers to customers and raising the visibility of Ugandan products. Such representatives, he said, could help businesses spot emerging opportunities without relying solely on costly government-led arrangements.
Red Pepper reports his central message as: "An economy that is not able to sell to other markets is an economy that is intended to remain poor." He urged Ugandan businesses to look beyond local consumption and build the capacity to compete internationally.
OWC and ministry back the initiative
Brig. Gen. Godfrey Muwanguzi, Deputy Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, attended on behalf of Chief Coordinator Gen. Salim Saleh. He welcomed the academy and commended its founders for an initiative aimed at strengthening agricultural knowledge and productivity, according to Red Pepper.
Muwanguzi acknowledged that OWC had initially faced questions about the military's role in agricultural transformation, but said the programme's purpose had become clearer as government pushed wealth creation and commercial farming. He stressed that Ugandans need to shift from subsistence farming to commercial production that generates income, builds savings and improves household livelihoods.
He also pointed to the Parish Development Model (PDM) as a tool for changing attitudes toward household economic empowerment, and encouraged participants to learn about government programmes and use them well. Communities need adequate information about PDM and similar initiatives to benefit fully, he said. He further challenged urban residents to take up productive work rather than depend on begging, arguing that Uganda's human resources could drive economic transformation if properly harnessed, and said village-level structures should help people understand and access available opportunities.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries pledged its support. Gordon Katwiirenabo, the ministry's Assistant Commissioner for Coffee Quality Assurance and Value Addition, welcomed the initiative and asked the academy to prioritise sustainability, affordability and collaboration with accreditation bodies, Red Pepper reports.
What to watch is whether the academy's first training cohorts translate into more Ugandan coffee and cocoa products clearing international certification and reaching buyers abroad.
