April 5, 2012

East African Coffee Association Grows to Be Pan-African

East African Fine Coffees Association Becomes African Fine Coffees Association

The East African Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA), which ACDI/VOCA helped to found, has become the African Fine Coffees Association.

According to Coffee and Cocoa International, Cameroon, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have requested membership in AFCA, among others.

“But we are going to have a number of other African nations, including Angola and Mozambique,” said a spokesperson for AFCA. “The EAFCA name has been restricting them from joining the organization.”

A Legacy Organization of ACDI/VOCA

EAFCA was a legacy of ACDI/VOCA’s 2002-2006 ACDI/VOCA Specialty Coffee Promotion in Eastern Africa (SCOPE) project in Uganda in which we partnered with the Specialty Coffee Association of America/Specialty Coffee Institute to accelerate the development of a fine coffee sector in eastern Africa and increase exports. SCOPE helped the EAFCA Secretariat to plan, manage and promote activities, recruit new members, develop relationships with partners, donors and members, and eventually become financially self-sustainable.

Today, as a membership organization, AFCA promotes partnerships among those interested in high-quality coffee. AFCA represents farmers, exporters, importers, retailers, roasters and coffee professionals from Europe, the Americas, Asia and, now, pan-African countries, and coordinates market initiatives.

Learn more about ACDI/VOCA’s work with coffee.