By Frank Kamuntu
Jinja is set to host a new festival aimed at transforming Busoga’s coffee and cocoa potential into tourism, investment, enterprise and employment opportunities, as the region seeks to broaden its economic identity beyond traditional agriculture.
The inaugural Busoga Coffee & Cocoa Tourism Festival (BCCTFEST) 2026 will take place at Jinja Showgrounds from September 18 to 20, bringing together farmers, investors, businesses, tourism operators, young entrepreneurs, development partners and cultural stakeholders.
The festival, organised by the Women’s Environmental Forum Uganda (WEF-Uganda) in partnership with the Busoga Kingdom and other stakeholders, will run under the theme, “Brewing Prosperity, Cultivating Heritage: Advancing Coffee & Cocoa Value Chains for Youth Employment and Economic Transformation.”
Rather than focusing solely on agricultural exhibitions, organisers say the festival is designed to connect the coffee and cocoa value chains with tourism, culture, business and investment.
More than 300 exhibitors and thousands of participants are expected to attend the three-day event, which will feature coffee and cocoa exhibitions, business and investment dialogues, tourism experiences, youth innovation showcases, cultural activities and networking opportunities.
Resty Mbwali, Founder of WEF-Uganda and Festival Director, said the idea emerged from working with communities and witnessing both the opportunities and challenges surrounding agriculture and enterprise in Busoga.
“Through our work with women, youth, farmers and community enterprises, we have seen the opportunities that coffee and cocoa can create for Busoga,” Mbwali said.
She noted that farmers and entrepreneurs continue to face challenges including limited access to finance, weak market connections, low levels of value addition and limited opportunities for young people.
The festival, she said, is intended to bring some of these conversations together while creating opportunities for partnerships, markets and investment.
The organisers are also positioning coffee and cocoa as part of Busoga’s environmental and tourism story.
“Coffee and cocoa are not just cash crops. They are tree crops, and when they are grown responsibly, they can contribute to environmental restoration, biodiversity and climate resilience while providing long-term income for farming households,” Mbwali said.
From The Farm To The Tourist
The festival experience will begin on September 17 with the Busoga Coffee & Cocoa Agro-Tourism Experience in Busede, Jinja District.
Participants will visit farms, interact with farmers, observe coffee and cocoa production and processing, and explore how agricultural activities can be packaged into tourism experiences.
The organisers want to demonstrate that farms can become destinations where visitors learn, taste local products, interact with farmers and understand the journey behind what they consume.
They believe the model could create additional income streams for farmers and rural communities while helping Busoga develop new agro-tourism products.
A major component of the festival will be the Youth Innovation Challenge and Enterprise Hub, targeting young people involved in coffee and cocoa value addition, agritech, tourism, branding, packaging, digital solutions, logistics, consumer products and the creative economy.
Young innovators will be able to pitch ideas, showcase businesses and interact with investors, business leaders and development partners.
The organisers will also launch the foundation for a six-month Post-Festival Enterprise Acceleration Programme, through which selected high-potential youth and women-led enterprises can receive mentorship, business development support, market connections, product improvement, investment preparation and technical assistance.
Taking Coffee Onto The Nile
The festival will extend beyond the Jinja Showgrounds on September 19 with the Nile Coffee Cruise Networking Experience.
The cruise will bring together investors, exporters, entrepreneurs, financiers, policymakers, tourism operators and development partners for business networking and coffee experiences along the River Nile.
Organisers hope the cruise will eventually become a recurring tourism and business networking product associated with Busoga.
The festival will also feature Nile Coffee Jazz Nights, combining live music, cultural performances, food, coffee, entertainment and networking.
The organisers say the evening programme is intended to encourage visitors to stay longer in Jinja while experiencing the region’s culture and hospitality.
Emmanuel Mawejje, the Festival Communications and Marketing Manager, said the event is also intended to change perceptions about the region.
“Busoga is often associated with sugarcane, but there is much more to the region,” Mawejje said.
“We want people to discover our coffee, cocoa, farms, tourism attractions, culture, businesses and the opportunities available here.”
The festival will showcase coffee roasters, chocolatiers, baristas, processors, exporters, cooperatives, tourism businesses, community nurseries, financial institutions and organisations supporting agriculture and enterprise development.
Local governments are also expected to participate, particularly departments responsible for production, tourism, natural resources and commercial services.
Organisers say the ultimate success of BCCTFEST will not simply be measured by attendance, but by the partnerships and opportunities generated during the event.
Festival Coordinator Christine Nababi said the programme has been designed to create practical connections.
“We want people to leave with something practical. A farmer may meet a new buyer, a young entrepreneur may find a mentor, a business may identify a financing opportunity, and a tourism operator may find a new partnership,” Nababi said.
The organisers expect the festival to strengthen market linkages, create enterprise opportunities, develop tourism products, attract investment conversations and open pathways to decent employment for young people and women.
The initiative has attracted support from partners including aBi Development, Enabel, the European Union, the Government of Belgium and Mastercard Foundation, alongside private-sector, tourism, financial, cultural and development partners.
For Busoga, the organisers argue that unlocking the region’s potential will require collaboration between farmers, businesses, government, cultural institutions, investors, financial institutions, development partners and communities.
The festival therefore comes as an attempt to build a broader economic and tourism narrative for Busoga, using coffee, cocoa and culture as entry points into new markets and experiences.
The organisers are inviting farmers, entrepreneurs, investors, tourists, students, businesses and development partners to Jinja from September 18 to 20 to experience what they describe as “Our Land, Our Culture, Our Future.”
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