The Secretary General, H.E. Ambassador Solomon RUTEGA receives the Instrument of Acceptance of the 2020 IACO Agreement from the Togolese Authorities.

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Abidjan, April 2, 2025 – The Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO) is pleased to announce the official submission of the instrument of Acceptance of the IACO 2020 Agreement by the Republic of Togo. This agreement, the third since IACO’s inception, was adopted during the 60th General Assembly in Ghana and officially operationalised at the 63rd General Assembly in Ethiopia in 2024. The new agreement aims to strengthen the African coffee sector through enhanced cooperation, increased value addition, and greater participation of African coffee-consuming nations and private sector stakeholders. 

The Secretary General of IACO expresses his deepest gratitude to H.E. the President of the Republic of Togo and his government for their unwavering support. In particular, IACO General Secretariat recognizes the significant contributions of Mr. Enselme GOUTHON, Secretary General of the Coordination Committee for the Coffee and Cocoa Sector in Togo (CCFCC-Togo), and H.E. AWOKI PANASSA, the High Commissioner of Togo in Accra, Ghana, who represented the Togolese government at this official ceremony.

Togo has consistently played a key role in the growth and evolution of IACO. Notably, it was the first nation to join the eleven founding member states on August 31, 1961. On May 11, 2023, Togo further demonstrated its commitment to the African coffee agenda by becoming the first nation to sign the IACO 2020 Agreement, reaffirming its dedication to advancing Africa’s coffee agenda. The submission of this instrument further underscores Togo’s continued leadership and dedication to advancing the shared goals of African coffee-producing nations.

Coffee remains a significant foreign exchange earner for many African economies. In February 2023 during the African Union’s 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government adopted the G25 Kampala Declaration, recognizing coffee as a strategic commodity under the AU’s Agenda 2063 and for IACO as an AU Specialized Coffee Agency. The protocols and MOU for implementation were signed in November 2024, marking a historic milestone—the first time in IACO’s 64-year history that “coffee” has received strategic recognition at the continental level.

As we commemorate this milestone, the IACO General Secretariat extends its appreciation to all member states that have ratified the agreement and urges other member states to expedite the ratification process for the collective benefit of the African coffee sector.

For further inquiries, please contact:

The IACO General Secretariat

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Contact : +225 27 20 21 61 31

Email: [email protected]