Coffee remains one of Africa’s most important agricultural exports, alongside cocoa, cotton, and cashew, as the continent continues to strengthen its presence in global markets, driven by high coffee prices that have remained elevated since 2024.
According to Ecofin, the African financial and economic affairs agency, African countries exported 19.69 million bags of coffee (equivalent to 1.18 million tons) by the end of the 2024/2025 season, according to data published by the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in its monthly coffee market report. (One bag weighs 60 kg.)
This represents an 18.6% year-on-year increase, marking growth for the second consecutive year, and it is the first time African coffee exports have surpassed the one-million-ton mark.
Key Drivers of Africa’s Historic Coffee Export Growth
The ICO attributed this outstanding performance to several key factors:
- Abundant harvests in major producing countries, boosting export volumes.
- Rising coffee prices on major global exchanges.
- Release of larger-than-usual stock quantities to meet global demand.
Specifically, Ethiopia and Uganda were the main contributors to this growth, with exports increasing by 27.3% to 442,200 tons for Ethiopia, and 29.6% to 495,600 tons for Uganda. Together, these two East African countries account for approximately 80% of African coffee exports during the 2024/2025 season.
The report noted that Ethiopia’s 2024/2025 coffee harvest reached about 9.91 million bags, while Uganda’s harvest totaled 7.05 million bags, with total African coffee production rising by 7.6% to 22.78 million bags during the fiscal year.
Global Coffee Prices on the Rise
In global markets, data from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) showed that Arabica coffee prices rose by 51% in New York, closing at $8.26 per kilogram on September 30, 2025, compared to $5.48 per kilogram on October 1, 2024.
Africa’s Export Growth Contrasts with Global Trends
This African growth comes amid an expected 0.3% decline in global coffee exports, projected to reach 139.01 million bags in the 2024/2025 season, according to the ICO. Despite the global decline, South America managed to offset some of the overall drop, neutralizing growth observed in other regions.
Although Africa’s share of global coffee trade remains limited at 11.6%, several indicators point to the continent increasing its market share. During the 3rd African Coffee Group of 25 Summit held in February 2025 in Dar es Salaam, producing countries pledged to raise Africa’s share to 20% of global production by 2030, compared to just 11% today.
African Countries’ Strategies to Boost Coffee Production
Several African nations are accelerating development plans to increase coffee output:
- Tanzania: In April 2025, Tanzania, the third-largest coffee exporter in Africa after Uganda and Ethiopia, launched a strategy to quadruple production by 2030.
- Kenya: In October 2025, Kenya announced the digitization of coffee auctions, part of a national plan to triple production over the next three years.
The 2024/2025 season highlights Africa’s dominance in the global coffee market, with exports surpassing one million tons for the first time, rising global prices, and strategic plans to further boost production in the coming years, solidifying the continent’s growing role as a key player in international coffee trade.
