DAR ES SALAAM, Feb 17 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA is set to leverage the upcoming G25 African Coffee Summit to increase coffee production and expand its footprint in the global market.
The high-profile summit, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam, will bring together key stakeholders from 25 coffee-producing African nations, offering a platform for trade, investment and policy discussions.
Speaking during a press conference in the Coast Region, Government Chief Spokesperson and Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Gerson Msigwa, said the summit will provide an opportunity for Tanzanian coffee farmers to forge partnerships and networks with their counterparts from other countries, thereby creating new markets and investment opportunities.
Msigwa stated that the high-level event, through platforms such as Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings, will enable coffee producers, policymakers, traders, manufacturers, ministers and Heads of state across the continent to chart a new course for upgrading the coffee production value chain.
He noted that Tanzania currently contributes 240 million US dollars (over 621bn/-) to the total global coffee market, which is valued at 500 billion US dollars.
Meanwhile, Africa as a whole, accounts for about 2.5 billion US dollars (approximately 6.5tri/-) of the global coffee market.
Over the past three years, Tanzania has experienced an increase in coffee production from 55,000 tonnes to 85,000 tonnes.
Msigwa highlighted that this upward trend has drawn international attention, leading to Tanzania being selected to host the summit.
He also emphasised that coffee is one of the four most traded commodities in the world, alongside oil, gold and gas. Tanzania aims to use the summit as a platform to expand its share in global markets.
Moreover, he attributed the surge in international conferences hosted in Tanzania to the government’s strong economic diplomacy.
“These summits are being held consecutively as a result of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s resolute efforts in strengthening diplomatic ties with other countries in Africa and globally,” Msigwa said.
Adding, “Today, other countries prefer to come to Tanzania.” He noted that as of Sunday, seven Heads of state and government had already confirmed their attendance at the summit.
The summit is themed “Unlocking Employment Opportunities for the Youth Through Regeneration of the African Coffee Industry”, aiming to rejuvenate the sector by engaging youth and enhancing value addition.
The G25 African Coffee Summit is the second major international event to be hosted by Tanzania this year, following the recent African Energy Summit, which was also held at JNICC in Dar es Salaam and brought together 25 Heads of state.
In Africa, Tanzania ranks among the top five coffee producers, typically placing fourth or fifth, with Ethiopia, Uganda and Ivory Coast leading in production.
Tanzania’s coffee is primarily produced in Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Ruvuma and Mbeya, focusing mainly on Arabica and Robusta varieties. — NNN-DAILYNEWS