Côte d’Ivoire Coffee Week Showcases Africa’s Shift to Sustainable, Value-Added Coffee
The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Coffee Organization (ICO) reaffirmed their commitment to inclusivity and sustainability during Coffee Week in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Historically, with the exception of Ethiopia, much of Africa has viewed coffee primarily as an export commodity rather than a drink enjoyed locally. Coffee culture has remained limited in many countries, with minimal value addition or internal trade. However, this is changing. A new movement is emerging across the continent, where African countries are reclaiming ownership of coffee—adding value at origin, trading regionally, and cultivating domestic appreciation and consumption.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Coffee Week symbolizes this transformation, signaling Africa’s rise as both a producer and a dynamic coffee market.
As part of their ongoing collaboration under the Alliances for Action initiative, ITC and ICO co-hosted activities to strengthen value chains, promote investment, and build technical capacity—particularly in robusta-producing regions. The event was organized in partnership with Côte d’Ivoire’s Conseil Café-Cacao, the Robusta Coffee Agency of Africa and Madagascar (ACRAM), the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), and other partners.
Key activities included:
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Barista and cupper training aligned with SCA standards, training 25 entrepreneurs in professional tasting and preparation techniques.
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International seminar on coffee genetic resources with Crop Trust and the National Centre for Agronomic Research (CNRA), attended by 29 participants from 16 countries.
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Press conference featuring leaders from ITC, ICO, Crop Trust, and Côte d’Ivoire’s Permanent Representative for Commodities, Ambassador Aly Touré.
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Launch of ITC’s Agribusiness Investment Promotion Approach, with a workshop introducing 40 participants to ITC’s agro-investment methodology and providing targeted training to 15 attendees on investment readiness.
“This is about giving producing countries the tools, knowledge, and platforms to lead coffee transformation on their own terms,” said ICO Executive Director Vanusia Nogueira. “We’re here to make quality coffee education more accessible—especially in robusta-producing countries.”
Sahande Mamadou, Director of Elima Torréfaction, noted the value of the training: “This deepened my understanding of sensory analysis and specialty coffee cupping. We now see the importance of improving roasting techniques and sampling for our clients.”
ITC’s Côte d’Ivoire Coffee Coordinator, Mory Diawara, emphasized the importance of value addition and regional markets, saying it would bring greater returns to local producers and processors.
The week also reinforced the ICO–ITC–SCA partnership to professionalize African youth in the coffee sector, in line with the DACBA initiative (Drink African Coffee, Build Africa) led by the Inter-African Coffee Organization.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Agriculture, ICO’s Executive Director, and Ambassador Aly Touré participated in high-level discussions, highlighting the sector’s strategic importance. The event concluded with calls for expanded capacity building and equipment support to strengthen the sector further.
The investment readiness workshop, supported by ITC’s Alliances for Action, provided a platform for small businesses to engage with financial service providers, understand investor requirements, and explore opportunities—focusing on unlocking investments and increasing domestic value addition for long-term resilience.
Through inclusive partnerships, technical training, and investment facilitation, ITC and ICO aim to position producing countries not only as exporters but also as global leaders in shaping the future of sustainable coffee.
About the Project:
The ACP Business-Friendly Programme is funded by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and jointly implemented by ITC’s Alliances for Action, the World Bank, and UNIDO. It supports agribusiness competitiveness in ACP countries, promoting inclusive and sustainable value chains that benefit all stakeholders.
