DAR ES SALAAM, Feb 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — HEADS of State and governments from 25 African coffee producing countries have agreed to support research in coffee value addition to foster innovation, generate new technologies and develop high yielding, high-quality coffee varieties that are resilient to climate change, pests and diseases.
They also committed to increasing investment in coffee value addition and promoting domestic coffee consumption across the continent.
Reading the Dar es Salaam Declaration at the 3rd G25 African Coffee Summit, Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, announced that member states had set a target for at least 50 per cent of Africa’s coffee production to be roasted and traded within or outside the continent by 2035.
“Another agreement is to innovate and adopt new technological tools in the coffee value chain,” Bashe said.
Moreover, the summit requested the African Union (AU) to represent the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO) in negotiations with the European Union (EU) regarding changes in regulatory frameworks, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and any future amendments affecting the coffee sector. Member states also urged IACO countries to facilitate the establishment of Centres of Excellence for Coffee and an African Centre for Coffee Research to boost knowledge-sharing and development.
“African governments should support initiatives to increase domestic coffee consumption and empower their nationals to enter public-private partnerships for local investment in coffee value addition,” Bashe added.
In addition, leaders agreed to hold the G25 African Coffee Summit every two years, with the 4th edition scheduled for 2027 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The agreements were made in recognition of coffee’s strategic role in Africa’s economic future. In February, during the 37th AU Heads of State Assembly in Addis Ababa, coffee was officially adopted as a key commodity in the AU Agenda 2063.
The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), established in 2018, also presents a major opportunity to expand intra-African coffee trade by eliminating tariffs and fostering sustainable economic growth.
IACO, the main body driving Africa’s coffee agenda, was established on Dec 7, 1960, when leaders from 11 African coffee-producing nations met in Antananarivo, Madagascar and resolved to create a unified platform for addressing challenges in coffee production, processing and marketing.
Since then, its membership has grown to 25 African countries, including Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
With the Dar es Salaam Declaration, African nations are taking a unified approach to boosting coffee value addition, domestic consumption and international trade. — NNN-AGENCIES
