PPPs, ICT & coffee friendly policies to consolidate UCDA’s efforts in reviving the coffee sub sector

Nina L. Nasuna is the acting Director Corporate Services/Finance Manager at the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). She is one of the longest-serving members of the organisation. Nasuna shared with us the journey from Uganda Coffee Marketing Board to the current status of the organisation, which is UCDA.

Nina L. Nasuna - Acting Director Corporate Services/Finance Manager

Briefly, tell us about the Corporate Services Directorate.

The Directorate of Corporate Services currently comprises the Finance Department, Human Resource Department, Administration and Management Information Systems Department. We also have the Legal Services Department and Corporate Services Department.

Thirty years ago, we did not have a Directorate of Corporate Services, we only had a Department of Finance and Administration as well as the Human Resource Department. At that time, it was called the Personnel Department. The head of that department was the one taking care of human resource issues, and other administrative issues.

Since then, the Authority has evolved as evidenced by our achievements especially through the volume of coffee for export. At one time, we exported only about one million 60kg bags of coffee but now we have moved to about 8 million 60kg bags to date.

After realising some growth in the number of coffee bags for export, do you think UCDA has enough human resources?

We do not have enough staff; we currently have 145 staff and 56 regional staff but also, we have 1.8 million coffee farming households. If you calculate the ratio of staff to the household, the ratio is too wide, as one staff deals with 3,000 households. We are trying to work with the local government and the Parish Development Model with the hope that the ratio can reduce to one staff to 300 farmers. We would like to recruit more staff but we are still constrained by resources. That is why we are still exploring the available models.

Have the sources of revenue increased or improved?

Still 30 years ago, under the

UCDA staff during a training.

administration department, we had the same properties that were and are still our sources of revenue. Some of the properties were transferred to UCDA from the Uganda Coffee Marketing Board.

Two properties are located in Bugolobi including a bungalow at Bazarabusa Drive. In Kololo, there are properties, at Elizabeth Avenue, Windsor Crescent, Baskerville Avenue. The other property is in Ntinda.

The other major source of revenue is CESS, the one per cent charge on coffee exports. However, with the new Coffee Law, moving forward will be deducting 2%.

Other sources include registration fees charged on industry players like processors, roasters, owners of factories and graders.

We also occasionally get money from donors on specific projects like from the European Union. We also get funds from the government to undertake interventions. For example, a few years ago, we received a directive from the President to ensure that we raise 20 million 60kg bags of coffee by 2025. Such a campaign was financed by the government and the money has been increasing over the last eight years.

How then did you start getting funds from the Consolidated Fund?

In the Financial Year 2014/2015, our status changed from a semiautonomous organisation to now accessing funds from the Consolidated Fund. Before 2014, we were a semiautonomous organisation that would generate its own income and spend it at source. But when UCDA became a vote, we had to transfer all the money to the Consolidated Fund.

That meant closing our bank account and only maintaining those accessed by donors. It also meant operating like a ministry, that if you do not generate enough revenue for your activities, you wouldn’t work. You had to work hard and ensure that money planned for is collected in time.

On a positive note, it meant that irrespective of whether we have deposited the money or not, wages would still be released. If government generally does not collect the planned funds, it affects the cash requirements for planned programs like pavements of suppliers, which generates bad publicity for the organisation.

In your view, has UCDA done enough to counter negative publicity?

Yes, but we are still doing more. We have radio programs, webinars, and talk shows where UCDA officials engage the public on ongoing interventions. We are also making use of our website by publishing more success stories as we can. The website also gives up-to-date coffee prices daily. We also have a presence on social media where we engage our stakeholders and also help in countering negative publicity. In addition, we have a call centre where we respond to queries from our callers in time.

Any kind of reforms that you think will improve service delivery at UCDA?

Adoption of ICT is one of the reforms that we are undertaking. For example, our system at the moment is half manual and half digital and we are now trying to upgrade it so that we are connected to the Uganda Electronic Single Window where export documents, procurement and other requirements for export are processed faster through this system that has almost all government agencies and departments on one platform.

We have an MIS system that will help speed up the work, which we are currently working on. Again, it is for digitizing the operations to avoid paperwork. We also want to embrace e-procurement, that is another intervention, which the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development will start as soon it is ready for implementation.

Adoption of ICT is one of the reforms that we are undertaking, for example, our system at the moment is half manual and half digital.

also increased. So, if we are at six million bags, and since more people have planted coffee, I see us nearing the 20 million bags. In terms of revenue, I see us generating more cash, we are engaging many development partners. Again in five years, I see more projects.

One of the projects we are embarking on is the Coffee - Cocoa development project (COCODEV). At the moment we are dealing with coffee, but I see ourselves managing the project. We already have it, but I think the government is trying to consolidate so as not to have many of these services scattered.

We are also hoping that those proposing mergers will see the importance of coffee and will not take us back to the ministry. If they take us back to the ministry and that is within the five years, remember they have told us that by 2023, that process will be completed and it is within the five years we are talking about, but if it does not happen, then this trend we have been having will increase.

In five years, because we are a development and regulatory agency, it’s the technical departments that will have to push us somewhere, production will increase. As production increases, staff support function has to match the technical. So finances will increase and property prices will also increase.

When we have revenue, then we shall have money to further develop the properties. What we are looking at is how we are trying to get PPPs to develop our structures because they are dilapidated. And the trend now, if you go to Kololo residential places have improved. The state they are in we cannot get revenue from them to improve. But one is almost complete while others are in the pipeline.

We are supposed to do a property revaluation every five years. The last one we did, we realised that properties were not making money because of their state. We expect to improve the properties, create revenues and also improve the image of the Authority.

With respect to ICT in five years, we shall have a functioning ICT system that links us to all government web portals.

Where do you see UCDA in the next five years?

Production has increased because of the directive from the President to produce 20 million bags. Exports have

Rauben Kimusya, RCEO - Kisoro interacts with a coffee farmer.

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Uganda Coffee Development Authority Coffee House, Plot 35 Jinja Road, P.O. Box 7267,Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 414 256 940 / +256 312 260 470 | Fax: +256 414 256 994 Email: info@ugandacoffee.go.ug | Website: www.ugandacoffee.go.ug