Finance Minister Matia Kasaija.
The Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija, Italian ‘investor’ and 21 entities have been summoned by Parliaments’ committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry over the recently signed controversial coffee agreement.
On February 10, 2022 the minister signed $ 80 Million shillings’ coffee processing contract with Enrica Pinetti, the owner of the Vinci coffee company Limited (UVCC).
However, the deal has been widely criticized with the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among directing the Trade committee to investigate for public confidence.
Following the directive, Committee on Trade Chaired by Mbarara City South MP Mwine Mpaka issued a long list of stakeholders in the coffee sub sector who have been invited to appear before on April 25 and April 26, 2022 as investigations into coffee controversies kick-off.
These Include; the permanent secretary ministry Finance Ramathan Ggoobi; Uganda’s Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka; Nsumikambi Mugambe; Minister of for Trade, Tourism Industry and Cooperatives Francis Mwebesa, Minister of Agricultures Frank Tumwebaze and the Solicitors General.
Other entities and Agencies include; Uganda Coffee Development Authority, Uganda Coffee Federation, Uganda Coffee Quality Traders’ Association, Uganda coffee Traders’ Alliance among others.
Under the signed agreement, Pinetti’s Vinci coffee company is expected to construct an 80 Million US Dollar integrated coffee processing plant at Namanve industrial Park and also market the finished coffee products in Europe and Middle East.
The agreement extends an array of incentives and concessions to the investor in a manner that has been widely criticized as monopolizing Uganda’s coffee business.
According to the document dated February 10, 2022, Ggoobi, the secretary to the Treasury signed on behalf of the government while Enrica Pinetti, an Italian investor and board chairperson of Uganda Vinci Coffee signed on behalf of the company. Pinetti is the woman behind the stalled Lubowa hospital project.
