ITC review seeks to revamp NUCAFE’s institutional practices

International Trade Centre (ITC)’s NTF II Uganda team recently presented a thorough review of the National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE)’s financial and human-resource management (HRM) practices. The review is part of NUCAFE’s efforts to advance its institutional development interventions.

The review, which was presented in Kampala, Uganda, on 6-7 March, was based on the findings of a mission carried out in November. It provided insights into NUCAFE’s contractual terms and conditions; its roles and responsibilities; its reporting line and frequency of reporting; performance mechanisms; its compensation policy and the insurance and benefits if offers employees; the extent to which the HR manual is used in day-to-day operations; and training and development opportunities available to its staff.

The information gathered during the mission allowed ITC’s team to fortify NUCAFE’s HR system by creating templates such as “Employment Contract”, “Short-term Consultancy Contract” and “Appointment Letter”. It also enabled the team to formulate an HRM and a financial review document with suggestions for the path forward. These include a detailed action plan and solutions to improve NUCAFE’s financial management capacities and financial sustainability, as well as proposals to restructure the organization’s board.

The documents formulated by ITC’s team are now being completed and will be shared with NUCAFE’s team for feedback.