By Daniel Adu Darko
Accra, Nov. 25, GNA – The International Trade Centre (ITC) has urged actors in Ghana’s coffee value chain to prioritise sustainability, responsible production and inclusiveness as the country marks the 2025 Coffee Week celebration.
At the opening ceremony in Accra, Mr Lawrence Attipoe, National Coordinator for Alliances for Action Programmes at ITC, said the long-term growth of Ghana’s emerging coffee sector depended on deliberate efforts to protect the environment and safeguard the rights of farmers and their families.
“You cannot possibly have a sustainable coffee industry if you destroy your environment to produce it,” he cautioned, adding that harmful practices, including child labour, must be rejected at all levels of production.
“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 stressed.
Mr Attipoe said Coffee Week provided a platform to highlight the contributions of farmers, processors and young entrepreneurs whose efforts sustain the coffee value chain.
“Every value chain is as strong as the smallest or the weakest link is strong,” he noted.
He said ITC continued to work with national partners to boost visibility for Ghana’s coffee on the global market while ensuring that women and young people had a stronger voice in the sector.
“We want to make sure that the women have other tools to protect their role and place in the value chain,” he said, referencing a gender and youth workshop scheduled for November 21.
This year’s celebration also includes barista training and a field tour to Kewu, where participants will learn about the seed-to-cup process.
“We want them to understand how soils, varieties, harvesting techniques, fermentation, drying and on-farm practices shape the quality of the end product from day one,” he explained.
The week-long event will climax with the Ghana Coffee Festival at the Nyaniba Market.
GNA
Christian Akorlie