Ghana is seeking to strengthen its foothold in the global coffee market through value addition, which strategy officials say will create jobs, diversify exports and increase national revenue.
Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Coffee Week, Director of Research at Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Isaac Manu, said the country must look beyond cultivating raw beans and focus on building a competitive value-added industry.
“This presents Ghana with a unique opportunity not only to grow raw beans, but to carve a niche in the value-added space,” he said.
According to him, developing local roasting, packaging, branding and promoting made-in-Ghana coffee products was the pathway to job creation, export diversification and enhanced national revenue.
Dr. Manu applauded the growing innovation within the sector, particularly among young entrepreneurs and emerging businesses.
“Let us recognise and commend the innovations coming from our young entrepreneurs, coffee shops, processors and exporters who are redefining the narrative of the Ghanaian coffee sector. They are showing that with the right investment and support, Ghana can become a significant player on the global coffee stage,” he said.
He emphasised the need for strong partnerships to drive the industry’s transformation. To him, no single entity could transform the coffee sector in Ghana and that there must be active involvement of financial institutions, research institutions and international partners to revitalise the sector
Dr. Manu outlined COCOBOD’s ongoing interventions aimed at boosting competitiveness and farmer livelihoods.
These include supplying about one million seedlings to farmers annually, supporting research into disease-tolerant varieties, training farmers in good agronomic practices and encouraging youth and women to see coffee as a viable agribusiness.
He added that COCOBOD continues to collaborate with the private sector to improve local processing and value addition.
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