DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (BG) — African leaders have unveiled an ambitious plan to revolutionize the continent’s coffee industry, vowing to end raw bean exports and drive value-added production.

The Dar es Salaam declaration, adopted at the G25 African Coffee Summit on Feb. 21-22, aims to secure a greater share of the $500 billion global coffee market.

With representatives from 25 coffee-producing nations, the summit emphasized that Africa must take control of its coffee value chain.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan highlighted the urgency, stating, “By 2035, at least half of Africa’s coffee should be processed within the continent before export. The profits lie in the value chain, not just in production.”

According to recent reports, 90% of Africa’s coffee is exported in raw form, preventing the continent from accessing the most profitable segments of the coffee trade.

The Dar es Salaam Declaration outlines key strategies, including climate-smart farming, intra-African trade expansion under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and training 1 million youth in coffee technology by 2030.

According to Uganda’s Minister of State for Agriculture, Kyakulaga Fred Bwino, over 53% of the rural population in 25 African coffee-producing countries is involved in coffee farming, with 10 million households relying on the coffee value chain.

The summit concluded with a commitment to review progress at the fourth G25 African Coffee Summit in Ethiopia in 2027.

Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh celebrated the decision, posting on X: “The birthplace of coffee is right here in Africa. Leaders united to unlock our full potential.”