By American actor, singer and Fast & Furious star Tyrese Gibson touched down at Entebbe International Airport on Tuesday, bringing a little Hollywood sparkle to the Pearl of Africa.
The star, best known to millions around the world as Roman Pearce in the Fast & Furious franchise and Sergeant Robert Epps in Transformers, is in Uganda for a three-day visit aimed at shining an international spotlight on the country’s coffee, tourism and investment potential.
Gibson received a distinctly Ugandan welcome at Entebbe, where he was met by Talent Africa Group Chief Executive Officer Aly Allibhai and Uganda Tourism Board CEO Juliana Kagwa. Traditional dancers and the Ugandan flag added the homegrown touch to the Hollywood arrival, giving him the full Ugandan treatment.
Hollywood star meets the coffee farm
Gibson’s visit is part of the growing push to tell Uganda’s coffee story beyond export statistics and supermarket shelves.
During his stay, he is expected to participate in the launch of Explore Uganda Coffee Tourism, a campaign bringing together the Uganda Tourism Board, Kampala Capital City Authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Africa Coffee Park.
The agenda includes visiting coffee-growing communities, meeting farmers and seeing how the beans move from the farm through processing and, eventually, into the cup.
For Gibson, therefore, this is more than a holiday. He is stepping into a campaign that wants the world to see Uganda’s coffee differently.
Roman Pearce at a glance
Gibson is hardly a stranger to the global spotlight. His career has moved seamlessly between music and film. He first made his name as an R&B singer before becoming a familiar Hollywood face, with roles in Baby Boy, Transformers and the hugely successful Fast & Furious franchise. His music career, meanwhile, produced hits including Sweet Lady and How You Gonna Act Like That.
Now his Ugandan visit is likely to involve coffee grinders, cultural performances and the sounds of communities growing one of the country’s most important crops.
Gibson will explore some of Uganda’s tourism attractions, including the Source of the Nile, visit the Africa Coffee Park in Ntungamo and meet coffee farmers.
Gibson is also expected to headline the second Africa Coffee Marathon and Coffee Concert in Ntungamo on October 3, 2026.
This year’s event carries the theme “Empowering the IK Community of Karamoja through Coffee Farming to End Poverty,” linking entertainment with an attempt to draw attention to coffee farming, livelihoods and economic empowerment.
Last year’s edition featured Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz. This year, the organisers have gone a little further down the Hollywood highway with Gibson.
And if the photographs from Entebbe are anything to go by, Uganda is already making sure the welcome is worthy of the occasion.
