By Umar Kashaka
_____________
The second G-25 Africa Coffee Summit has kicked off at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
The three-day conference is expected to be opened by President Yoweri Museveni under the theme: Transforming the African Coffee Sector through Value Addition.
Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze said a declaration is expected to be signed at the end of the summit, aiming at marshalling support of the African Union in giving coffee the prominence it deserves as a strategic crop.
The conference explores how African coffee-producing countries can harness the opportunities in value addition and increase Africa’s contribution to the global coffee trade, whose estimated value is $466b.
“Coffee is the lifeblood of our economies. It is critical that we harness this resource by adding value to coffee to earn more, create employment and develop our economies, said the Uganda Coffee Development Authority.
The summit is being attended by heads of state, senior government ministers, heads of coffee authorities, coffee: exporters, roasters, associations, farmers and processors.
They include Ethiopia president Sahle-Work Zewde, Dr Philip Isdor Mpango, the vice president of Tanzania and Musalia W Mudavadi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya.
African leaders arrive for summit
On the eve of the summit (Monday), African leaders arrived in the country to attend the meeting.
One of them is President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, who was welcomed at Entebbe International Airport by the Minister for Presidency, Milly Babirye Milly Babalanda.
The other senior African government officials that also jetted in on Monday are Tanzania’s Vice-President Dr Philip Isdor Mpango and Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
Mpango and Mudavadi were welcomed by John Mulimba, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Co-operation.
Delegates at the second G-25 Africa Coffee Summit
