The 3rd G25 African Coffee Summit concluded on Friday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on February 21, 2025, with member states calling for stronger African representation in global decisions affecting the coffee industry.
In the summit’s declaration, Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, emphasized that the African Union through the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO) should be actively involved in negotiations on regulatory changes impacting the continent.
Bashe pointed out that Africa should have been part of discussions with the European Union regarding changes to its regulatory framework, such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
“The EU and other global organizations should not make decisions on coffee without involving the African Union and the African continent,” he stated.
The two-day summit focused on transforming Africa’s coffee sector by promoting youth employment, enhancing value addition, and addressing key industry challenges.
In 2022, Africa’s coffee exports were valued at over $3.6 billion, with 90% consisting of raw coffee and only 10% processed and roasted coffee. To boost local value addition, the summit set an ambitious target: by 2035, at least 50% of African coffee should be roasted and traded within the continent.
Coffee has been recognized as a strategic commodity in the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This decision was officially adopted at the AU’s 37th Heads of State Assembly in Addis Ababa in February 2024.
