KAMPALA. Uganda is mourning the death of former executive director of the defunct Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), Dr Emmanuel Lyamulemye.
The renowned agricultural scientist and businessman died this morning, according to Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Mr Frank Tumwebaze.
The minister eulogized Lyamulemye as a pillar of Uganda’s coffee sector who played a key leadership role in the design and implementation of Uganda’s coffee road map that brought about Uganda’s coffee exponential growth.
“Under his leadership, Uganda strengthened its coffee quality standards, expanded farmer extension support systems, and positioned itself as one of the world’s most competitive coffee origins. He fought firmly in international coffee bodies/foras demanding for the correct classification of African coffees (Uganda’s robusta & Ethiopia’s Arabica). He was a bold , firm and intelligent officer. Together with other Colleagues, he worked hard in opening up Uganda’s coffee new markets like China,” Mr Tumwabaze eulogized.
With over 20 years of experience in the corporate world, Dr Lyamulemye is credited for his significant contribution to the coffee sector, with earnings reaching $1.9 billion.
For about two years, after graduate school, he was the programme director of a programme promoting New Rice for Africa (NERICA) rice in Uganda, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization.
In August 2010, Lyamulemye was appointed as the National Programme Coordinator for the EU funded Northern Uganda Agriculture Livelihoods Recovery Programme (ALREP – € 20 million) and the Karamoja Livelihoods Programme (KALIP – € 15 million), in the Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda.
Dr Lyamulemye was first appointed as CEO of UCDA in 2016. In 2021, the UCDA Board renewed his contract for another five years, based on the positive outcome of his first term.
In December 2024, President Museveni signed into law the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024 sealing the fate of UCDA which Parliament had in November approved for rationalization.