Founder of the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA)
FRED KAWUMA is Secretary-General Emeritus of the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO), and one of the founders of the World Coffee Producers Forum. He is an experienced executive, consultant, coffee professional, and champion of coffee improvement systems from production through the value chain to the consumer. He has worked as a coffee expert in the public and private sectors in East and West Africa and the United States. He is the founder of the African Fine Coffees Association and was its first Executive Director, and earlier was also the founder of the Uganda Coffee Federation.
He has mentored and empowered others in leadership positions and those managing newly established organisations. He has served on several local and international boards. He has been a CEO in different organisations and has received awards for his work in coffee—commendation from the US Congress in 2004; an Award of Coffee Excellence from H.E. the President of Uganda in 2017; and the AFCA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for African coffee in November 2020. Fred holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree in Marketing from Makerere University, MA in Communication from Wheaton College, IL, USA, and a PhD in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Regent University, VA, USA.
