Sierra Leone’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Alpha Ibrahim Sesay, has called for a global partnership that links climate action, agricultural finance, and stronger supply chains. He emphasised that producer nations should be viewed as partners in value creation, rather than merely providers of raw materials.
Speaking at the British House of Lords during a networking event for the World Coffee Alliance on Wednesday evening, Sesay highlighted the urgent need for coordinated responses to the challenges facing global coffee and cocoa production. His remarks came after the first day of the World Coffee Innovation Summit (WCIS26) in London.
He warned that isolated projects and short-term solutions are inadequate to tackle the interconnected issues affecting the sectors. “Resilience is a system, not a project,” he said, noting that millions of farming families rely on these markets. However, production is increasingly threatened by climate change, low yields, fluctuating market demands, and unequal access to capital and technology.
Minister Sesay stressed the importance of creating an investment structure that fosters fairness and benefits all participants across the production and value chains. He identified three critical areas for enhanced cooperation: climate, capital, and supply chains.
He urged for more comprehensive climate actions that go beyond simply providing seedlings, advocating for farm rehabilitation, improved soil and water management, and supporting regenerative farming practices. He also noted that forests, soil, water, and biodiversity should be regarded as valuable economic assets.
On the financial side, Sesay called for stronger connections between agricultural and climate finance, suggesting solutions like blended finance and risk-sharing instruments to attract more capital into the sector.
Furthermore, he stressed the need for transparent and commercially inclusive supply chains. Reliable data and traceability should allow producers improved access to markets without adding additional burdens on farmers.
In his address to the audience at the House of Lords, Minister Sesay urged a shift from fragmented efforts to cohesive national systems and from short-term transactions to sustainable partnerships. He asserted that producer countries must play a crucial role in securing the future of global coffee and cocoa supplies.
He highlighted that, in Sierra Leone, these sectors present an opportunity to drive productive investments, enhance value addition, and boost farmers’ returns. “These measures could help the country capture more value from its agricultural products,” he noted, declaring, “Sierra Leone is ready not as a passive supplier, but as a dedicated partner in fostering a more resilient, inclusive, and competitive global coffee and cocoa economy.”
Minister Sesay is leading Sierra Leone’s participation at WCIS26, which aims to deepen the country’s ties with international investors, buyers, and development partners.
