African Coffee Organisation: Côte d’Ivoire To Host Head Office

Curtains dropped on the fourth African Coffee Symposium and the 56^th Annual General Assembly of the Inter-state African Coffee Organisation in Yaounde on December 2, 2016.

Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, is set to host the head office of the Inter-state African Coffee Organisation, IACO. The information is contained in the recommendation of the fourth African Coffee Symposium and the 56^th Annual General Assembly of the IACO that ended in Yaounde on December 2, 2016, with Cameroon’s Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana as chair of the day. The head office is expected to reduce the financial weight on IAOC with the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire in Cameroon, His Excellence Narcisse Ahounou Maalan, stating that it was a common decision and his country was ready to cede a piece of land of over 600, 000 metres square for setting up the structure.

Delegates to the confab all agreed that it was time to revive the coffee sector in Africa. Currently, Africa’s share of global coffee production has plummeted to mere 12 per cent, with its share of exports declining to 9.8 per cent. Coffee farmers and experts say the indicator was telling of the urgency to resuscitate the sector by tripling productivity and production. A five-year strategic plan was approved, with each country expected to come up with national strategies.

Countries were tasked to design national coffee policies and strategies that meet growing challenges like ageing farms and farmers, involving youth and women in coffee farming as well as...