Mr Ashish Monpara, Chairman of the Modern Group of Industries, has been named Global Leader of the Year 2025. This was during the 26th Edition of the Asian Business and Social Forum on the 19th of September, 2025 at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel in Business Bay, Dubai.
The Indo-UAE Summit was held under the theme ‘Celebrating the Spirit of Asia,’ where they spotlighted the strengthening of bilateral trade, investment, and innovation between India, the UAE, and the wider GCC region. They also look to foster strategic partnerships across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Mr Monpara was recognised for his significant contributions to industrial growth and private sector development across East Africa.
Commonly referred to as the ‘King of Sugar’, he has redefined industrial investment in Uganda, establishing at least one factory every year since 2017. Mr Monpara has set a bold vision for the Modern Group and for Uganda’s economic potential on the global stage.
His company Modern Group of Industries was also recognized as the World’s Greatest Brands 2025. Under his visionary leadership, the Modern Group has grown into one of Uganda’s most renowned industrial conglomerates, expanding across multiple sectors including sugar, alcohol distillation, aluminium profiling, tile manufacturing, and organic fertiliser.
Today, the Modern Group has reshaped Uganda’s industrial landscape. It operates seven factories across 10 industrial verticals, with total investments exceeding US $700 million (approximately Shs2.4 trillion). The group has contributed import substitution worth US $100 million (Shs356 billion) and employs over 4,000 people.
The journey began in 2017 with the launch of Modern Distillers, producing ethanol. In 2018 came Modern Gas, which also generated carbon dioxide for major clients such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The following year, the group introduced Modern Aluminium, producing high-quality profiles once imported from Dubai, China, India, and Europe. That same year also saw the birth of Modern Fertiliser.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the group established two new factories. One was Modern Hygiene in 2020, producing hand sanitiser, a crucial product during the pandemic. In 2021, spotting an opportunity to substitute imported tiles with locally produced, high-quality alternatives, Mr Monpara set up Modern Tiles. The company now employs 1,600 people and controls 45 per cent of Uganda’s tile market.
In 2022, the group expanded further with Kidera Sugar in Buyende District, now awaiting commissioning, plus Lamborghini Drinks and Beverages (Modern Spirits), a partnership that manufactures products in Uganda for export to the United States and Asian markets.
The highlight came in 2023 with the takeover of Kaliro Sugar, at the request of President Yoweri Museveni and Investment Minister Evelyn Anite. From an ailing sugar factory, Kaliro Sugar was completely overhauled to run at full capacity of 2,500 TCD, directly employing 1,500 people and paying our due taxes.
Commissioned in August 2022 by President Museveni, Kaliro Sugar has restored dignity to the district’s sugarcane farmers. Expansion plans are already in motion, with the plant expected to grow to 5,500 TCD within two years and 8,000 TCD in the longer term, a combined daily output of around 200,000 tonnes of sugar.
Leveraging by-products from sugar production, Mr Monpara also launched Modern Power in 2023, generating electricity both for factory consumption and for the national grid, presently at 12MW.
His industriousness and innovation have attracted other accolades, including the Best Foreign Direct Investment Project Award for Modern Tiles at the Annual Investment Meeting Awards in 2022. Modern Group has also emerged among the top tax contributors to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), averaging Shs12.5 billion annually.
Over the next three years, Mr Monpara plans to invest another $500 million. Priorities include a sugar refinery to reduce reliance on imported white sugar, a power plant in Buyende to expand capacity ramped up to 50 MW, new ventures in steel production, and pharmaceuticals. The ultimate goal is to cre¬ate 10,000 jobs and cement Uganda’s position as a regional industrial hub.
Reflecting on his journey, Mr Monpara, a first-generation businessman, said he started by investing his own money.
‘I bootstrapped my business by investing from my money. Now, with the business thriving, financing has become more accessible. My advice to every investor is to start with your own investment, and then you can tap into available financing options in the country.’