By Mulengera Reporters
On Saturday, August 29, Victoria Sugar Limited was recognized for its contribution to Uganda’s industrial development after winning the African Development Entrepreneur Award 2026 (Industrialist) at the 9th edition of the Pan-African Pyramid Global Awards held at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
The award was received on behalf of Victoria Sugar by the company’s Managing Director Prajapati Bhavin, Director Thummar Aakash and Ayoko Esther, the Human Resource Manager at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
The recognition came as Pan-Africanists, business leaders, humanitarians and other distinguished guests from across the world gathered for the annual awards.
Victoria Sugar’s recognition reflects the growing importance of industrial enterprises that do more than produce finished goods, but also create employment, support farmers and add value to locally available raw materials.
Based in Luwero, Victoria Sugar has developed an integrated agro-industrial operation centered on sugarcane growing and processing. Its activities have expanded into the production of sugar, ethanol, extra-neutral alcohol and electricity, allowing several products to be generated from the same agricultural value chain.
Its factory was commissioned by the President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni in December 2025 following an investment of more than $150 million, according to Uganda Investment Authority records.
At the commissioning, Victoria Sugar MD said the investment had created thousands of direct and indirect jobs while establishing linkages with sugarcane out growers.
The operation has also taken advantage of sugarcane by-products to generate electricity. The factory produces about 15 megawatts of electricity, with 10 megawatts supplied to the national grid, while plans for additional biogas generation have also been announced.
The approach means that what would ordinarily be treated as waste in the sugar production process is instead turned into another economic resource.
Victoria Sugar has similarly invested in distillery operations, producing ethanol and extra-neutral alcohol from molasses. The products have applications in industries including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and beverages.
Its activities therefore stretch across agriculture, manufacturing and energy, providing an example of the type of integrated industrialization that Uganda has been promoting as it seeks to increase local value addition.
The wider Victoria Group has also become a significant taxpayer. Government investment records indicate that the group contributed about UGX 225 billion in direct and indirect taxes between 2018 and 2024.
The company has also continued expanding its agricultural base, with additional land acquired in Kiryandongo as part of its long-term growth plans.
At the Pan-African Pyramid Awards, however, the emphasis was not simply on the size of Victoria Sugar’s investment, but on the broader development impact associated with industrial entrepreneurship.
The award came during a ceremony that sought to celebrate Africans and institutions contributing to the continent’s social and economic advancement.
The event also featured a strong call for Africans to take greater ownership of their resources and build industries capable of transforming the continent’s raw materials into wealth and opportunities for its people.
That message was particularly relevant to Victoria Sugar, whose operations demonstrate how agricultural production can be linked to manufacturing, energy generation, employment and regional trade.
Victoria Sugar’s recognition as African Development Entrepreneur 2026 consequently places its industrial journey within the wider Pan-African conversation about economic self-reliance and value addition. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
