Victoria Sugar Ltd has received recognition for its role in supporting Uganda’s industrialisation, creating jobs and promoting local value addition after being awarded the 2026 African Development Entrepreneur (Industrialist) Award by the Pan-African Pyramid (PAP).
The award was presented at the 2026 PAP Global Awards held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, where individuals, companies and organisations were honoured for initiatives and investments contributing to Africa’s economic and social development.
PAP recognised Victoria Sugar, the flagship company of Victoria Group of Companies, as an example of African entrepreneurship and industrial growth, highlighting its investments in manufacturing, agriculture, employment, taxation and energy production.
According to the award citation, Victoria Group has invested more than $200 million, equivalent to about Shs710 billion, in Uganda since it was established in 2018. The group has also paid more than Shs225 billion in taxes between 2018 and 2024.
Victoria Sugar operates a 17,000-acre sugarcane estate in Luweero and also works with out-grower farmers who provide sugarcane to its processing plant.
Through this model, agricultural production is connected directly to industrial processing, giving farmers opportunities to earn income while ensuring a steady supply of raw materials for the factory.
PAP said Victoria Sugar’s factory can process approximately 3,000 tonnes of sugarcane each day and produces about 36,000 tonnes of sugar annually.
The organisation noted that the company’s operations demonstrate the economic benefits of processing agricultural products within Uganda instead of exporting raw materials to other countries for processing.
Victoria Sugar has also ventured into electricity generation by using bagasse, the fibrous residue left after sugarcane is processed.
According to PAP, the company produces around 15 megawatts of electricity, with about 10MW being supplied to the national electricity grid.
The company is also looking into biogas production, which PAP said could provide another way of making productive use of waste generated during its industrial activities.
The award citation noted that these investments show how manufacturing can contribute beyond the production of goods by also supporting the country’s energy needs.
PAP further highlighted Victoria Group’s diversified investment portfolio as another factor behind the recognition.
The group has interests in a number of businesses, including Yogi Steels, Victoria Nile Plastics, Millennium Tiles, Gold Star Batteries, Total Cables, Mayuge Stone Quarry, Tembo Aluminium, Simba Creation, Delta, Shakti Sugar and Victoria Tyres, among others.
According to the citation, this diversification has helped increase local production, create employment and stimulate economic activity across several industries.
The group directly employs more than 10,000 people and supports an estimated 5,000 additional indirect jobs, according to PAP.
The employment generated through its different businesses supports thousands of families while contributing to the wider economy through salaries, taxes and purchases from local suppliers.
PAP said Victoria Sugar’s investment approach reflects its vision of African-led economic development, particularly through the use of resources, workers and entrepreneurial talent available on the continent to generate local wealth.
The organisation placed strong emphasis on value addition, arguing that African countries can benefit more economically when they process their raw materials locally into finished products.
PAP also connected Victoria Sugar’s industrial strategy to President Yoweri Museveni’s long-standing advocacy for Uganda to move away from exporting raw materials and instead increase the production and export of finished goods.
“Victoria Sugar’s top leadership attended President Museveni’s repeated classroom lectures on the need for Uganda and Africa to export finished products rather than raw materials,” PAP stated in the award citation.
The organisation said Victoria Sugar’s investments provide a practical example of how Pan-African ideals can be translated into economic activity through manufacturing, employment, support for farmers and domestic value addition.
The African Development Entrepreneur (Industrialist) Award places Victoria Sugar among the businesses recognised by PAP for their role in advancing economic development and industrial transformation across Africa.
For PAP, the company demonstrates how private-sector investment can support Uganda’s industrialisation ambitions while creating employment, generating tax revenue, providing markets for farmers and contributing to the national power supply.
The recognition comes as Uganda continues to promote investment in manufacturing and value addition as part of efforts to strengthen productive sectors, expand local production and reduce dependence on imported finished goods.
