The G25 Coffee Summit bringing together 25 African coffee-producing countries among them Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana Tanzania etc, has kicked off in Nairobi, Kenya. These countries produce 12% of the world’s coffee, which is the second-largest most traded commodity after oil and is Africa’s most important agricultural crop.
The three-day event kicked off at Safari Park Hotel on Wednesday, 25th May 2022.
The summit, titled ‘Sustainable Development and Economic Growth in the African Coffee Sector,’ brings together heads of state and government from the 25 African coffee-producing countries to forge a consensus on integrating coffee as an anchor commodity in the African Union (AU) in line with Agenda 2063.
Ag. Director General, Mr. Primus Kimaryo center, among other panalists.
African leaders will leverage on the summit to address the challenges facing the African coffee sector under the auspices of the African Union to build a united and integrated Africa.
The summit will also encourage value addition and domestic consumption, as well as to educate people about coffee and its health advantages, and to boost coffee trade regionally under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
Coffee is a major foreign exchange earner, a source of livelihood for an estimated 10 million people in Africa, and a source of direct and indirect investment.
Kenya’s coffee export contributed 0.1% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021.
The top five coffee export destinations for Kenya are Belgium, the USA, Germany, Korea and Sweden.
By Fred Odanga Azelwa.