The International Trade Centre (ITC) has called for stronger sustainability and inclusion in Ghana’s coffee sector.
Addressing stakeholders at the opening of the 2025 Coffee Week celebration in Accra, the National Coordinator for Alliances for Action Programmes of the ITC, Mr Lawrence Attipoe, said the sector cannot grow without deliberate attention to responsible production.
“You cannot possibly have a sustainable coffee industry if you destroyed your environment to produce it,” he warned.
He added that child labour and harmful practices must also be rejected. “You could possibly not have a sustainable coffee industry in a manner that you use your children and their labour to grow and process the coffee. That will not be sustainable. Not only that, that will be unacceptable in today's world,” he said.
Mr Attipoe said Coffee Week is designed to shine a light on the farmers, processors and young entrepreneurs who keep the value chain active. “Every value chain is as strong as the smallest or the weakest link is strong,” he noted.
He highlighted the ITC’s efforts to build national visibility for Ghana’s coffee and to strengthen the voices of women and youth. “We want to make sure that the women have other tools to protect their role and place in the value chain,” he said, ahead of the gender and youth workshop scheduled for 21 November.
The celebration also features barista training and a field tour to Kewu, aimed at deepening understanding of the seed-to-cup journey. “We want them to understand how soils, varieties, harvesting techniques, fermentation, drying and on-farm practises shape the quality of the end product from day one,” he said.
The week will climax with the Ghana Coffee Festival at the Nyaniba Market.