ETHIOPIA – The African Union (AU), a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa, has officially designated coffee as a strategic commodity for the continent.
The AU made coffee a strategic commodity for the continent during the 37th AU Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, following an earlier Kampala coffee declaration. This move underscores Africa’s commitment to elevating the status of coffee in its agenda for the year 2063.
The Kampala Declaration, which paved the way for this momentous decision, originated from the G-25 Coffee Summit held in Kampala last August.
During this summit, leaders from African coffee-producing nations rallied for the recognition of coffee as a strategic commodity, urging the AU to align it with their Agenda 2063.
One of the key resolutions emerging from the G-25 Coffee Summit was the determination to promote value addition within the continent and cease the export of raw coffee beans.
This strategic shift aims to enhance the income of farmers and address the historical exploitation perpetuated by Western nations.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who played a pivotal role in championing this cause, emphasized the need for African nations to assert control and dominance within the global coffee market.
He presented compelling statistics highlighting the disparity between Africa’s significant contribution to the global coffee market and the meager benefits reaped by the producing countries.
President Museveni stated, “We can reverse this situation by enhancing the value of our crop. This approach will not only amplify revenue but also create more local employment opportunities, mitigating escalating unemployment rates.”
The President also outlined Uganda’s commitment to this cause, citing measures already taken to impose export bans on various raw materials, including valuable minerals such as uranium, copper, wolfram, iron ore, and sought-after resources like lithium.
In Africa, Ethiopia and Uganda stand as the largest exporters of coffee beans, collectively accounting for 62 percent of coffee bean distribution. Ethiopia leads with 39 percent, followed by Uganda with 23 percent. Cote d’Ivoire holds the third position, producing 13 percent of the nation’s coffee beans.
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