As we reflected on important statistics about Africa’s tea industry. Africa produces approximately 800 million kilograms of tea. But these figures must be understood within the broader context of the global tea economy.

African tea consumption is also growing, with projections approaching 500 million kilograms. This highlights the importance of strengthening African markets and ensuring that the continent is able to meet a greater share of its own demand while retaining more value from the tea it produces.

That is the strategic conversation we must have.

When we look at the global geography of tea, Africa occupies a particularly important position. Tea is grown in approximately 40 countries around the world, but the crop performs exceptionally well in tropical and equatorial environments. Many parts of Africa possess precisely these conditions.

In some of our most productive regions, yields can exceed 10,000 kilograms per hectare. This is evidence of a significant natural comparative advantage.

Africa has the climate. Africa has the land. Africa has the agricultural expertise. And Africa has millions of farmers participating in this value chain.

Our responsibility is to translate these advantages into greater economic value for our people.

There is another important dimension to Africa’s tea story.

Much of our tea is produced under relatively favourable environmental conditions, with responsible use of agricultural inputs and increasingly sustainable production systems. Some of our tea estates have been producing for more than a century and continue to demonstrate the long-term viability of tea production on the continent.

We have also invested in research, technology and improved varieties. Our research institutions have developed clones and production systems that are improving productivity and resilience.

Africa should therefore not be viewed simply as a source of raw material.

Africa is building knowledge, technology and productive capability.

At the same time, global tea production has expanded significantly over the past decade, driven principally by the major producing countries, particularly China and India, with Kenya and other African producers also contributing substantially to global growth.

The future of Africa’s tea industry must be about producing greater value per kilogram.

That means developing stronger African markets. It means increasing consumption on the continent. It means investing in branding, packaging, processing and product diversification. It means strengthening intra-African trade and connecting African producers more directly to African and global consumers.

Kenya, in particular, has developed a distinctive model through its smallholder tea sector. Farmers have demonstrated that small-scale production, when properly organised, supported by research and connected to markets, can generate substantial volumes and sustain rural economies.

We must move from being predominantly producers of a globally traded commodity to becoming creators of differentiated products, owners of brands, developers of markets and participants across the higher-value segments of the tea economy.

This is ultimately about economic transformation.

Africa should not only grow the tea. Africa must increasingly shape the market.

We have the resources. We have the expertise. We have the farmers. We have the research institutions. We have the markets. And we have an increasingly sophisticated African consumer.

What we need now is greater coordination, stronger investment, deeper regional trade and a deliberate strategy to capture more value at origin.

The future of African tea will not be determined simply by how many kilograms we produce. It will be determined by how much value, opportunity and prosperity those kilograms generate for Africa.

That is the opportunity before us.

And that is the ambition we must pursue together.