Morocco Inaugurates Africa’s First Pan-African Coffee Center at Tanger Med

Marrakech, The Gulf Observer: Morocco has inaugurated the continent’s first pan-African coffee center at the Tanger Med port complex, marking a major transformation in Africa’s coffee trade and positioning the country as a global gateway for African coffee exports to Europe, the United States and Asia.

The establishment of the African Coffee Hub signals a decisive shift from the traditional export model that has long limited African producers through dependence on European intermediaries, costly logistics and complex supply chains. Under the new system, coffee will be purchased directly from African producers, consolidated and processed in Morocco, and rapidly exported through Tanger Med — reducing costs and increasing value retention within Africa.

Sanaa Ben Abdelkhaleq, CEO of the African Coffee Hub, described the initiative as a landmark step for the continent.
“Our goal is to enable African coffee to reach the world without intermediaries, while ensuring quality, traceability and economic fairness for producers,” she said. “Tanger Med port represents the natural location to lead this revolution.”

Africa’s Central Role in the Global Coffee Economy

Africa remains a major force in global coffee production, supplying some of the world’s most prized beans and defining the espresso profiles preferred by international roasters.

Ethiopia stands at the heart of this ecosystem, producing between 470,000 and 500,000 tons annually — about 3–4% of global output — and supporting more than 15 million farmers. Uganda ranks closely behind with roughly 400,000 tons driven by robusta production, while Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Kenya maintain strong export-focused sectors.

Although Africa produces more than 10% of the world’s coffee, it has historically captured only a small share of global market value due to limited local processing, branding and supply-chain dominance by external intermediaries.

Rising global demand for specialty coffee — including Ethiopian arabica, Tanzanian peaberry and Kenyan AA — along with enhanced intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has created promising new opportunities. The African Coffee Hub aims to tap into this momentum by targeting leading producing countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.

The center will provide advanced quality monitoring, streamlined export channels to major international markets and comprehensive support for farmers to improve crop quality through transparent and sustainable practices.

A New Model for African Commodity Exports

The project aligns closely with Morocco’s broader strategy of strengthening economic diplomacy and solidifying its role as a strategic logistics bridge between Africa and Europe. By establishing a unified platform for coffee consolidation, the hub enhances Africa’s capacity to negotiate directly with global roasters while promoting job creation and sectoral expertise within Morocco.

Key to this initiative is full traceability, a feature increasingly demanded by international buyers concerned with ethical sourcing and transparency.

Located at the Tanger Med port complex — Africa’s largest container port and a top-20 global port — the hub benefits from unmatched global connectivity. Positioned at the Strait of Gibraltar, Tanger Med provides direct, efficient access to markets across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

This strategic advantage enables African producers to bypass traditional, costly export routes while competing more effectively in the global marketplace.

Importantly, the model ensures fairer compensation for African farmers by removing multiple layers of intermediaries, allowing a greater share of profits to remain in producing countries while preserving the high quality required by premium roasters.

Next Steps for the African Coffee Hub

The African Coffee Hub is expected to announce its first agreements with African coffee-producing countries in the coming weeks. The center will also release details regarding its operational calendar, key industrial partnerships and the official inauguration date at Tanger Med.

Once fully operational, the hub is poised to become a transformative platform for African coffee — enhancing global access, improving incomes for farmers, and elevating Africa’s position in the international coffee value chain.