By Ukumbi Afrika 
Kampala—Uganda’s export earnings increased 11.3% year-on-year to $1.28 billion in June, supported by stronger shipments of gold and cotton, according to a Finance Ministry report.
The increase compares with $1.15 billion recorded in June 2025, highlighting the growing contribution of commodity exports to Uganda’s foreign-exchange earnings.
Gold was the biggest driver of the growth. The value of gold shipments jumped 43.5% to $685 million during the month, reinforcing the precious metal’s importance to Uganda’s export sector.
Uganda has developed into a regional gold-processing hub, with gold and coffee among the country’s key sources of foreign exchange.
However, the performance of the coffee sector weakened during the month. Coffee export earnings fell 36.3% to $184.4 million, with the Finance Ministry attributing the decline to dry weather that affected harvests and reduced shipment volumes.
The contrasting performance of gold and coffee underscores the changing dynamics within Uganda’s export sector, where commodity prices, production conditions and weather patterns continue to influence foreign-exchange inflows.
– Total export earnings: $1.28 billion
– Year-on-year growth: 11.3%
– Gold export earnings: $685 million
– Gold growth: 43.5%
– Coffee export earnings: $184.4 million
– Coffee decline: 36.3%
Source: Reuters
Reporting: Elias Biryabarema
Editing: Sonia Cheema