Nigeria may be looking at importing milk and coffee from Uganda very soon, if the assurance given there by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is anything to go by. If that happens, it will mark a significant step toward strengthening economic ties between the two African nations. Though in the area of coffee it will also affect the efforts being made by farmers in Taraba and lately Cross River States to improve cultivation of coffee, even as discussions are on towards value addition.
The former president gave the assurance in Uganda recently during a visit to President Yoweri Museveni. During the visit, President Museveni hosted Obasanjo at Pearl Dairy Farms Limited in Mbarara City and facilitated a meeting with farmers from Kiruhura and Kazo districts. Obasanjo expressed his enthusiasm about Uganda’s impressive annual milk production of 5.7 billion liters, assuring both President Museveni and Ugandan farmers that Nigeria is eager to purchase Ugandan processed milk and coffee. “I am here to see how Nigeria can buy Ugandan milk, expand processed milk production, and coffee,” he stated.
The former Nigerian President highlighted that many African nations, including Nigeria, import milk from Europe despite Uganda’s capacity to meet these demands. “It’s only recently that I learned Uganda is the leading milk exporter in Africa,” he added.
President Museveni thanked Obasanjo for his willingness to partner with Uganda and emphasised that Uganda is well-positioned to supply milk to both local and international markets. Accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataha Museveni, President Museveni also commissioned the upgraded Nshwere Church of Uganda, refurbished by Tororo Cement Company Limited.
