Busoga is set to turn its coffee, cocoa and rich cultural heritage into a major tourism and business opportunity as Jinja prepares to host the inaugural Busoga Coffee & Cocoa Tourism Festival (BCCTFEST) 2026.
The three-day festival will run from 18th to 20th September at Jinja Showgrounds under the theme: “Brewing Prosperity, Cultivating Heritage: Advancing Coffee & Cocoa Value Chains for Youth Employment and Economic Transformation.”
Women’s Environmental Forum Uganda (WEF-Uganda) is organising it in partnership with Busoga Kingdom and partners from the agriculture, tourism, private sector, and development sectors.
According to organisers, more than 300 exhibitors and thousands of participants are expected, including coffee and cocoa farmers, cooperatives, processors, exporters, buyers, investors, tourism operators, financial institutions, researchers, policymakers and youth innovators.
More Than an Exhibition
Festival Director and WEF-Uganda Founder Resty Mbwali said the festival is not just about displaying products but closing gaps in the value chain.
“Through our work with women, youth, farmers and community enterprises, we have seen the opportunities that coffee and cocoa can create for Busoga. But we have also seen the gaps — limited access to finance, weak market connections, low levels of value addition and limited opportunities for young people. We wanted to create a space where some of these conversations can happen together,” Mbwali said.
She noted that coffee and cocoa, as tree crops, can contribute to environmental restoration, biodiversity and climate resilience while providing long-term income.
Farm Visits and Nile Coffee Cruise
The festival will start a day earlier, on 17th September, with the Busoga Coffee & Cocoa Agro-Tourism Experience in Busede, Jinja District, where guests will visit farms to see production and processing and how farms can be turned into tourism experiences.
On 19th September, the festival will move to the River Nile for the Nile Coffee Cruise Networking Experience, bringing together investors, exporters, financiers and tourism operators for business conversations. Organisers hope to make it a recurring tourism product for Busoga.
Evenings will feature Nile Coffee Jazz Nights with live music, cultural performances, food and coffee.
Youth at the Centre
One of the major highlights will be the Youth Innovation Challenge and Enterprise Hub, where young people in value addition, agritech, branding, packaging, digital solutions and the creative economy will pitch ideas and meet investors.
This will feed into a six-month Post-Festival Enterprise Acceleration Programme offering mentorship, business development, market linkages and investment preparation for selected youth and women-led enterprises.
Festival Coordinator Christine Nababi said the focus is on practical outcomes.
“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.”
Communications Manager Emmanuel Mawejje said the festival seeks to change Busoga’s story beyond sugarcane.
“Busoga is often associated with sugarcane, but there is much more to the region. We want people to discover our coffee, cocoa, farms, tourism attractions, culture and businesses,” he said.
The festival is supported by partners including aBi Development, Enabel, the European Union, the Government of Belgium and Mastercard Foundation, alongside the private sector, financial and cultural institutions.
