GCP speaks to Dafrosa Sanga about the role Café Africa plays in helping to drive coffee sustainability in Tanzania and how it leverages its GCP membership to do so.
Café Africa Tanzania (CATZ) boasts 13 years’ experience in supporting coffee sector with the goal of increasing productivity and livelihoods of small-scale coffee farmers in the country.
To reach its objectives and for efficiency, CATZ’s approach has been multi-stakeholder coordination in designing and implementing projects. In this light, the organization invested in the country coffee platform with a strong forged relationship with the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) and other key public and private stakeholders in the sector through the platform. CATZ interacts with more than 600 stakeholders spanning 15 regions of Tanzania across the coffee production value chain.
Using this approach, CATZ is currently coordinating the implementation of an enhanced productivity project in North-Western Tanzania (Kagera) funded by JDE Peet’s and is among the implementing partners of a coffee development project in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania funded by the EU through its flagship Agri-connect Program in the country. The organization carries out advocacy work through the platform and it is currently coordinating Sustainable Coffee Curriculum Review process to ensure inclusion of the new GCP Coffee Sustainability Reference Code.
In recognition of the importance of a strong vibrant platform, CATZ serves as the secretariat to the Tanzania coffee platform. It is also a member of various coffee associations in the country such as Tanzania Coffee Association (TCA) and Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF).
Since its beginning, CATZ has continued to gain respect and relevance in the sector, broadening its work to include the following:
- Support to the establishment of Zonal Stakeholder Platforms in the main eight coffee producing zones in Tanzania, and the development of achievable strategic agricultural plans to increase coffee productivity.
- The development and updates of Coffee Profiles for producing districts.
- More than 10 years of support in organizing the National Coffee Conference.
- Support of the platform in the development of the National Strategy for the Development of the Coffee Industry (2011 to 2021 plan and the follow-up strategy for the period 2021-2025).
The organization envisions a revitalized coffee sector in Tanzania that is inclusive, productive, beneficial, and fair. This vision is guided by its mission to be a catalyst for change among stakeholders in the coffee sector in Tanzania by providing a framework that enhances policy and practice and improves stakeholder livelihoods, in particular smallholder farmers.
The organization is registered as an NGO in Tanzania and has been in operation since 2009 with its headquarters in Moshi Kilimanjaro and two branch offices in Mbeya (Southern Highlands of Tanzania) and Kagera (North-Western of Tanzania).
“In recognizing the role of local and international coffee platforms in ensuring coffee sustainability and improved farmers’ livelihood, Café Africa Tanzania sought it crucial to become a GCP Member. GCP has supported Tanzania’s coffee platform and enabled stakeholders to connect with other coffee actors across the globe. Thus, out of CATZ’ mission and approach of multi-stakeholders’ coordination, it was inevitable decision for CATZ to join GCP.”
– Aikande Kwayu (PHD) , Board of Director