Uganda export earnings surge 77.6%, coffee helps drive January boom

Uganda’s export earnings surged 77.6% in January, reaching about US$1.5 billion from goods shipped as coffee kept its place in the country’s foreign-exchange engine. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development said the jump from US$844.6 million a year earlier was driven by higher export earnings from gold, coffee, industrial products, oil re-exports, beans and electricity.

Gold powered most of the headline gain. Its export earnings climbed 182.2% to US$913.95 million in January 2026 from US$323.84 million a year earlier, helped by a jump in volume from 3,873 kilograms to 6,254 kilograms and an average price that rose from roughly US$80,000 per kilogram to more than US$140,000. Together, gold and coffee accounted for more than 74% of Uganda’s total export earnings for the month, a reminder that the country’s trade story now rests heavily on two commodities with very different market dynamics.

Coffee still mattered. The Uganda Coffee Development Authority said exports in January 2026 totaled 569,454 60-kilo bags worth US$161.00 million, up from 550,341 bags worth US$156.50 million in January 2025. That was a 1.98% increase in volume and a 1.45% rise in value. The monthly shipment mix included 447,599 bags of Robusta worth US$111.04 million and 121,855 bags of Arabica worth US$49.96 million, with Arabica rising sharply year over year while Robusta softened.

The numbers matter well beyond Kampala’s trade balance. Coffee remains one of Uganda’s biggest sources of hard currency, and UCDA said the higher January volume reflected increased production. That steadier physical flow is important in a market that has been shaped by tight global supplies, weather shocks in major origins such as Brazil and Vietnam, and volatile prices that can swing farm income quickly from one season to the next.

Over the 12 months from February 2025 to January 2026, Uganda exported 8.9 million bags of coffee worth US$2.5 billion, up from 6.44 million bags worth US$1.62 billion in the previous 12-month period. UCDA put January’s average export price at US$4.71 per kilogram, only slightly below US$4.74 a year earlier, showing how volume growth helped carry earnings even without a big price leap. Uganda’s coffee sector is still benefiting from strong global demand, but the latest export surge suggests influence built on scale and consistency rather than a temporary windfall.