President Yoweri Museveni has pledged to establish a chocolate factory in Bundibugyo District, reinforcing his agenda of driving value addition and boosting income in Uganda’s cocoa-producing belt. Speaking during his campaign tour, he said the project will tap into the district’s long-standing agricultural base and create new jobs.
Museveni highlighted Bundibugyo’s resilience during the 1997 ADF insurgency, noting that households were already thriving on cocoa, coffee and palm oil despite insecurity and poor roads. He said it is now time for the district to transition from exporting raw cocoa to processing chocolate locally. He added that earlier attempts to attract American investors failed due to excuses about lacking inputs like milk and sugar, which he dismissed. He said a new investor has already been identified to take on the project.
The President pointed to the NRM’s record of restoring peace, improving infrastructure and expanding social services as the backbone of the district’s progress. Bundibugyo now has 107 government primary schools and 12 secondary schools, and he promised upgrades to the district’s health facility. Museveni warned against drug theft in hospitals and urged residents to hold leaders accountable.
He also revisited Uganda’s road development history and assured residents that the worn Fort Portal–Bundibugyo road section will be repaired. He encouraged households to adopt the four-acre model and focus on productive economic activity, arguing that local agro-industrial projects like the chocolate factory are key to job creation.
Museveni said the upcoming factory will expand markets, create employment and significantly transform Bundibugyo’s economy as government continues investing in value addition and rural industry.
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