Ethiopia to Host First African Coffee Week, 20th African Fine Coffee Conference

Addis Ababa, September 15, 2023 (FBC) – Ethiopia will host the 20th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition and the first African Coffee Week from February 5th to 9th, 2024 in Addis Ababa.

The conference and African Coffee Week are organized by 3 African organizations, it was learned.

Briefing the media today, Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority Deputy Director-General Shafi Umer said coffee is an important sector for Ethiopia’s economy as the country is the home of Coffee Arabica and close 20 million people deal with it.

Convening this conference in Ethiopia is a great testament to Ethiopia’s coffee standing, he added.

African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) CEO Gilbert Gatali said that the conference is a great opportunity for the African coffee sector to convene under one roof and hold important dialogues.

Similarly, Secretary General of Inter African Coffee Organization (IACO) Solomon Rutega said this is an opportunity for the wider African coffee producing countries to establish long-term partnership between private and public sectors.

Ethiopia, one of Africa’s specialty coffee countries, will be hosting the event under the theme: “Specialty Coffee at Origin” for the fourth time, it was learned.

The annual conference will bring together around 2,000 regional and international coffee roasters, traders, producers, buyers, and professionals under one roof to discuss to discuss policies, sustainability, access to finance, coffee competitions and other actions.

Founded in July 2000, the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) is a regional non-profit, non-political, member-driven association representing coffee sectors in 11 member countries.

AFCA members include both private and public sector coffee stakeholders, including producers, exporters, importers, roasters, policy makers, transporters and trade representatives.