Nairobi Coffee Exchange launches 2026–2030 strategic plan to digitise trading, protect farmers
Digital bidding, transparency, and market expansion aim to strengthen farmer returns and global competitiveness.
KENYA – The Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) has unveiled a five-year strategic plan aimed at transforming Kenya’s coffee trading system through digitisation, transparency, and market expansion, with the government pledging stronger protection for farmers.
The Strategic Plan 2026–2030 outlines measures to modernise the exchange by introducing online bidding, improving price discovery, and rebuilding trust among farmers, buyers, and other market participants.
Wycliffe Oparanya, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, said the plan would help address operational weaknesses while strengthening the exchange’s core mandate.
He noted that the Ministry will collaborate with industry stakeholders to ensure inclusive growth across the coffee value chain.
He said the government would work closely with stakeholders to ensure MSMEs involved in processing, logistics, and value addition are fully integrated into the modernisation journey.
NCE Chairman Kenneth Gitonga described the strategy as a major shift in the exchange’s direction. He said, “The Strategic Plan 2026–2030 is not incremental. It is transformational, courageous, and a systemic renewal.”
He added that the exchange is committed to restoring farmer confidence and elevating Kenya’s position in global coffee markets.
“For decades, NCE has been a marketplace. Today, we turn it into a movement that restores dignity to the farmer, commands respect in global markets, and makes Kenyan coffee not just traded, but treasured,” Gitonga said.
Gitonga stated that the exchange will introduce digitised trading systems offering real-time market data and full traceability.
He said, “We will introduce radical transparency and digitised trading systems with real-time market data and traceability from farm to cup.”
He added that stakeholders across coffee-growing regions, including Mt. Kenya, Kirinyaga, Nandi, Kisii, Bungoma, Machakos, Laikipia, and Taita Taveta, will benefit from improved visibility and trust in the trading process.
He also emphasised the exchange’s focus on improving farmer returns. “We will champion pricing mechanisms that reward quality, sustainability, and consistency. The prosperity of the farmer is the prosperity of the Exchange,” he said, adding that governance and operational efficiency will be strengthened to set new standards across Africa.
NCE Chief Executive Officer Lisper Ndungu said global coffee markets are evolving rapidly, requiring modern systems and stronger sustainability practices.
She said, “Buyers are demanding greater traceability and sustainability. Producers are seeking fairer returns and more efficient systems. Competition is intensifying, and climate change continues to test resilience across value chains.”
Ndungu said the strategy is anchored on three priorities: digital transformation and operational excellence, market expansion and global positioning, and stakeholder value and sustainability.
She noted that the exchange will invest in secure, innovative systems to improve efficiency and competitiveness while strengthening partnerships to attract more global buyers.
She added that the strategy reflects a long-term commitment to the industry. Ndungu said it represents “a shared commitment to the farmers who earnestly tend to their crop, a commitment to cooperative leaders striving for better returns, and to the buyers who trust our systems and the generations who will inherit the industry.”
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