The International Trade Centre (ITC) has renewed its drive to transform Ghana’s coffee sector as the 2025 Coffee Week celebration opened in Accra on Monday.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Lawrence Attipoe, National Coordinator for Alliances for Action Programmes at ITC, said the week remains an important platform to draw national attention to a crop with untapped economic promise.
“We want to keep the Coffee Week going to draw attention to a crop with so much potential in our economy that is not being seen as a show,” he said.
With support from the European Union, ITC has for years promoted coffee as a high-potential crop that can uplift communities. “We have embarked since 2022 thereabouts on a journey of throwing the searchlight on coffee as one of the key crops in our country with the potential to revitalise communities,” he said.
Mr Attipoe emphasised ITC’s commitment to collaboration across the value chain. “ITC, we are committed to partnership. We are committed to understanding the context. We are committed to understanding the issues and co-creating the solutions together with you,” he said.
He praised the rise of local brands such as Magnifico, Kawamuka and Jamestown, noting that “a couple of years ago, you couldn’t see them. But today, we see them and more are coming.”
This year’s Coffee Week includes barista training, a field agri-tour to Kwahu, a media masterclass, a gender and youth workshop and the Ghana Coffee Festival at Nyaniba Market on Saturday.
Mr Attipoe encouraged more investment into production, noting that “10 out of the 16 regions can easily grow coffee.” He added that planting nearly one million seedlings annually since 2022 is targeted at building an industry that will last for generations. “We will create a huge coffee industry in Ghana,” he said.