Nairobi — The African continent, home to 12% of the world's coffee production, is struggling with low coffee consumption. According to stakeholders attending the first G25 African Coffee summit, only 30% of the population consumes coffee.
Attendees at the summit, which concluded on Friday in Nairobi, emphasized the need for Africa to step up and create a conducive environment for promoting coffee consumption. They noted that the global coffee market continues to grow due to increasing demand, but Africa is lagging behind.
Benson Apuoyo, deputy director at the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) in Kenya, highlighted the importance of accelerating domestic coffee consumption in untapped African markets for socio-economic development. He noted that over 95% of Kenyan coffee is exported, and it's time for the country to start consuming coffee.
Apuoyo revealed that Kenya has initiated efforts to promote coffee consumption by opening coffee houses at two universities and negotiating with five more institutions to join the initiative. He also mentioned plans to open more coffee shops across the country.
Adugna Debele, Director-General of Ethiopia Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA), pointed out that Africa consumes 9,800 metric tons of coffee annually, while Europe consumes 55,625 metric tons. He urged governments to find innovative ways to make coffee appealing to the younger generation and boost income for countries and farmers.
Debele also highlighted the need to increase domestic coffee consumption by inducting the younger generation and establishing institutions to teach coffee production skills. He mentioned that Ethiopia has established a college where students learn to roast, grind, and pack coffee.
Other stakeholders, including Solomon Rutega, Secretary-General of the Inter African Coffee Organization (IACO), emphasized the need to popularize coffee consumption in Africa. Rutega revealed that IACO is launching inter-Africa training on roasters and bringing women and youths into the coffee industry to promote consumption.
