President Museveni lauds Dr. Magoola as he commissions new Cassava processing unit in Kamuli.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commissioned a $50 million (about Shs182 billion) starch processing factory in Busambu, Namasagali, applauding the Founder and CEO Dr. Marthius Magoola for the innovation. 

He urged Ugandan especial the Busoga region to embrace industrialisation as an engine to economic growth.

Dr. Magoola said that the investment is aimed at making Uganda competitive in drug manufacturing and that that the facility will go along way in minimizing the cost of imported inputs.

“We are among the first companies in Africa to manufacturer our own pharmaceutical ingredients” he said.

Dei Biopharma, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, has commissioned a cassava processing plant in Namasagali in the Kamuli district.

The unit will produce pharmaceutical-grade cassava starch, glucose, maltose, and other derivatives used in the manufacture of medicines, capsules, beverages, and food products. Its output will supply Dei Biopharma’s pharmaceutical plant in Matugga near Kampala, which already has 30 partially operational production lines, as well as export markets.

“Our decision to invest in starch production is strategic. It aims to make Uganda competitive in drug manufacturing by reducing dependence on imported inputs,” said Matthias Magoola, founder and CEO of Dei Biopharma.

The plant that was commissioned on Thursday 20th November 2025, will serve both as a lifeline for farmers and a cornerstone for local production of pharmaceutical ingredients. On the same day, President Museveni will also commission Dei Group’s organic fertilizer plant at Nansololo, also in Kamuli, also a project in the park.

The investment also creates a new outlet for producers, with a need for 500 tons of cassava per day. To secure raw material supply, the company has already integrated more than 3,000 farmers into its sourcing network across the Busoga, Bukedi, Lango, and Teso regions.

The new facility according to management will supply pharmaceutical-grade starch, glucose, maltose, and other derivatives to the company’s Matugga plant near Kampala, which already operates 30 production lines.

The Investment, one of the largest industrial deployments around a staple crop that produces an estimated 2.2 million tons annually, has already brought more than 3,000 farmers from Busoga, Bukedi, Lango, and Teso into its supply network.