At the Regional Forum on Coffee Value Chain Development in Africa held in Marrakech on the 5th May, in Morocco, co-organized by the Islamic Development Bank, the Kingdom of Morocco, the African Coffee Hub, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, aims to support African coffee-producing countries to shift from raw coffee exports to value addition.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, alongside the Deputy Minister I of Finance, Hon. Kadiatu Allie, represented Sierra Leone and both highlighted interventions on how the country is improving its coffee sector: from raw coffee to cocoa butter, constructing bridges and feeder roads in cocoa belt areas, leading to market access and other opportunities.
At the Forum, Minister Kpaka described #Stenophylla as a coffee specie native to Sierra Leone, known for its distinctive quality potential and ability to grow under warmer conditions, making it an important asset as the global coffee sector faces increasing climate pressure.
Sierra Leone signed an MOU between the country and African Coffee Hub Invest. The partnership will create a framework for technical cooperation in strengthening Sierra Leone’s coffee sector, including post-harvest handling, quality control, traceability, aggregation, logistics, branding, value addition, investment preparation, and market access.
“This partnership is important to us as coffee has a big potential to increase farmer income, create jobs, exports, and attract investment. We will move beyond raw coffee exports to processed Coffee”. Said Minister Kpaka