Stakeholders at the recently held Ghana Coffee Week have emphasized the need for consistent and sustainable promotion and marketing of Ghana’s Robusta coffee to position it as the country’s foremost coffee brand.
The industry players who made these assertions during the six-day event noted that while Robusta coffee had rich nutritional offerings, the apparent lack of publicity around it has placed other brands ahead of it.
Larry Attipoe, the National Programme Coordinator for the International Trade Centre, noted that through the conference, some light had been shed on the value of the coffee industry to the country and that stakeholders must identify ways of sustaining and improving the interest generated by the event.
“The major takeaway is that many people have, for the first time, got to know that we produce coffee in the country. Many people have now seen the production and packaging of coffee in the country for the first time. It has made us realize that creating visibility for what we have is important. I see so much potential for coffee in the country. We have to work and make people know that coffee can be a very important tool for the development of our country.”
“People had misconceptions about the coffee. Some doubted the quality of Ghanaian coffee, but when they came and tasted it, they were pleasantly surprised. They realized that it was good and better than other brands on the market. Someone told me, ‘I’m a connoisseur of coffee and I have never tasted something like this.’ What this means is that we have to create visibility around the products to clear the misconceptions and attract buyers,” he said.
Deputy Chief Executive of Agronomy and Quality Control of COCOBOD, Dr Ebenezer Owusu, noted that the coffee sector presented the country with another chance to improve its revenue sources.
He said the coffee sector is “an additional pathway to a prosperous and sustainable future for our farmers, communities, value chain actors, and the nation as a whole.”
He added that the government was committed to nurturing the potential of the coffee sector while working collaboratively with stakeholders, including farmers, cooperatives, processors, investors, and consumers, to create a vibrant coffee industry in Ghana, Africa, and the international community.
Vice President of the Coffee Federation Ghana, Samuel Adimado, noted that the Federation would continue to engage the government and private sector to grow coffee in the country.
He intimated the need to create and initiate programmes that generated vibrant discussions about Ghana’s coffee industry and how it could be revitalized.
The Ghana Coffee Week was held from October 21 to October 26, 2024, under the theme “Boosting Ghana’s Coffee Sector for Sustainable Economic Growth.”
The event brought together government officials, industry leaders, and international partners to explore the vast potential of the local coffee market.
