African leaders are gathering in Kampala for Africa coffee summit but will they have answers to the value addition question?
As these nations meet, the summit gives the host nation a unique opportunity to showcase its rich coffee heritage to a diverse range of African countries and promote economic integration.
The President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, the Vice President of Tanzania, Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the President of Equatorial Guinea are in Kampala to partake in the second G-25 Africa Coffee Summit.
All expected to grace the three-day summit are senior ministers from 22 coffee-producing nations. President Yoweri Museveni will officiate the summit that commences on 8th August and ends 10th August, 2023 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
The gathering will also witness the participation of Ministers, Heads of coffee authorities, alongside representatives from the African private sector, including exporters, farmers, roasters, processors, and coffee associations.
As these nations meet, the summit gives the host nation a unique opportunity to showcase its rich coffee heritage to a diverse range of African countries and promote economic integration.
The theme of the summit, “Transforming the African Coffee sector through Value Addition” speaks to the challenge these coffee producing countries face – the lack of value addition to the wealthy beans.
In a recent meeting with a Japanese delegation led by their the Foreign Minister of Japan, Hayashi Yoshimasa, President Museveni called on Japanese manufacturing companies to take interest in Uganda and add value to Ugandan products like Coffee.
Earlier in July, in Serbia, President Museveni while meeting the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Dr. Vladimir Orlić, said Uganda has succeeded in some sectors of the economy and now determined to cover the whole spectrum starting with coffee.
“We want the fair-minded outsiders to work with us to add value to our coffee at source, so that instead of getting only USD2.5 per kg of good coffee, we share more out of the USD40 per kg of the processed coffee,” President Museveni said.
