Members of Parliament (MPs) have demanded clarification from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) regarding the expenditure of Shs9.6 billion on a youth coffee training program in Uganda. The move comes after the Auditor General’s report revealed that several coffee shops established as part of the campaign in Gulu, Lira, and Mbale do not exist.
The contract for the training initiative, which included teaching youth how to drink coffee, was awarded to Inspire Africa (U) Limited. The breakdown of the funds allocated showed that Shs3.831 billion was intended for training farmers on coffee production, Shs1.906 billion for teaching youths about coffee consumption, Shs2.652 billion for financial literacy and business management skills training, and Shs1.271 billion for project administration, resulting in a total of Shs9.662 billion.
Journalist Charles Odongotho, affiliated with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), disputes the interpretation of the report. According to Odongotho, the money was not spent solely on training youths how to drink coffee. Instead, the OPM signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Inspire Africa, a company that trained over 700 youths across five regions in adding value to coffee, processing techniques, and equipment procurement.
“This report is out of context. It is not true that the money was used to train youth how to drink coffee. The @OPMUganda, through an MOU with Inspire Africa, used the money to skill over 700 youth in 5 regional centers to add value to coffee, learn processing, and buy equipment,” clarified Odongotho.
Robert Limlim, Director of the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) at the OPM, also defended the expenditure of Shs9.6 billion on training youths in coffee consumption. He emphasized that the initiative aimed to integrate young people into the coffee economy. Limlim mentioned that the funds were also utilized for the purchase of coffee equipment. However, the Auditor General’s report raised concerns about the existence of these coffee-related assets.
“The young people in Uganda need to participate in the coffee economy, and one of the ways they expressed interest was by selling coffee and other related products. Therefore, promoting coffee became essential. To achieve this, we partnered with organizations already working in the coffee industry,” stated Limlim.
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