President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned the NEC Meat and Beans Processing Factory in Kisozi, Gomba District. The facility is aimed at driving Uganda’s agro-industrialisation and increasing value addition to locally produced agricultural commodities.
The factory is a joint venture between the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), the commercial arm of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and Kenyan investor Francis Ragwa. It is expected to process meat and beans for both domestic consumption and export markets, creating jobs while providing a ready market for livestock keepers and farmers.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday, Museveni congratulated Ragwa for initiating the investment, saying the partnership demonstrates the importance of collaboration between local institutions and private investors.
“Today, I commissioned the NEC Meat and Beans Processing Factory in Kisozi, Gomba District, a joint venture between the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and Mr. Francis Ragwa of Kenya. I congratulate Mr. Ragwa for his vision and initiative. NEC provided the land, but the idea was his,” Museveni said.
The President assured the investors that Uganda has sufficient agricultural potential to sustain the factory’s operations through a reliable supply of raw materials.
“I assured the investors that Uganda has the capacity to supply the required raw materials. Our coffee, milk and livestock production continue to grow because of proper organisation, and we shall continue mobilising our farmers to produce even more,” he said.
Museveni said Uganda’s future economic transformation depends on processing its agricultural produce before export rather than selling raw materials, noting that value addition increases farmers’ incomes, creates employment and enables the country to earn more foreign exchange.
He explained that factories such as the one commissioned in Gomba are essential in building industrial capacity by transforming locally produced meat and beans into finished products that can compete in regional and international markets. He added that strengthening agro-processing industries will also reduce post-harvest losses and expand opportunities along agricultural value chains.
The President further tasked government ministers to actively support investors by ensuring that critical infrastructure and services are available to facilitate production and industrial growth.
“In this Kisanja of No More Sleep, every minister must be omusumba (pastor) of their sector by ensuring that investors have the infrastructure they need to succeed,” Museveni said.
The National Enterprise Corporation has in recent years expanded its investments beyond defence-related activities into commercial ventures, including manufacturing, agriculture, construction and mineral development, in line with government efforts to promote industrialisation and attract strategic investments.
Uganda has increasingly prioritised value addition under the National Development Plan, with government encouraging investments in agro-processing industries for coffee, dairy, livestock, grains and other agricultural products. Officials say expanding processing capacity is key to increasing export earnings, creating employment and reducing dependence on exports of raw commodities.
The NEC Meat and Beans Processing Factory adds to a number of agro-processing facilities aimed at strengthening Uganda’s manufacturing sector while providing farmers with stable markets for their produce, in line with the government’s broader strategy of transforming agriculture into a modern, commercial and export-oriented sector.
