East Africa Entrepreneurs Association Unlocking Opportunities in the Global Value Chain
The 2nd Africa Coffee Summit (ACS) is a high-level event that aims to transform the African coffee sector through value addition and domestic consumption.
The summit is organized by the Government of Uganda in collaboration with the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO), which represents 25 African coffee-producing countries. It will bring together heads of state, senior government ministers, heads of coffee authorities, and senior ministers from African coffee-consuming nations, as well as representatives from the African private sector, including farmers, processors, exporters, roasters, and coffee associations.
The theme of the summit is “Transforming the African Coffee Sector through Value Addition”. The summit will seek to promote the declaration of coffee as a strategic commodity in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, which aims to build a united and integrated Africa. The summit will also explore the impact of climate change and COVID-19 on the coffee industry and share knowledge and strategies to address these challenges.
This summit follows the success of the 1st G-25 African Coffee Summit, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 25, 2022. The Nairobi Summit adopted a declaration on coffee as a strategic agricultural commodity in the AU Agenda 2063 and called for the development of an evaluation framework to track down the socio-economic impact on coffee farmers and the enactment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA) to facilitate cooperation between African countries and encourage inter-African trade.
During the opening of the second G25 African Summit happening in Uganda, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni delivered a speech highlighting the significance of adding value to the country’s raw materials. He pointed out that while robusta coffee is indigenous to Uganda and is in demand globally, the economic benefits often don’t reach the producing countries, especially in Africa. The President emphasized the need for value addition to raw materials like coffee, copper, gold, and others, to enhance Africa’s economic growth and create job opportunities for the youth. He addressed the challenges posed by internal and external factors, advocating for a shift away from the present global economic disparities. Museveni stressed the potential benefits of added value exports and higher purchasing power for Africans. The President concluded with a call for global affluence through a win-win strategy and a rejection of imperialism and parasitism.
Hosting the 2nd African Coffee Summit gives Uganda a unique opportunity to showcase its rich coffee heritage and potential to a diverse range of African countries and promote economic integration. Uganda is one of the leading coffee producers in Africa and has a vision to increase its annual coffee exports from 4.6 million bags in 2018/19 to 20 million bags by 2025.
