Key stakeholders from across Africa’s cotton industry gathered in Lomé, Togo on Tuesday for the 22nd Annual Meetings of the African Cotton Association (ACA), as the sector confronts mounting pressure from climate change, rising input costs, and tightening international standards for quality and traceability.
The four-day event, organised by the Nouvelle Société Cotonnière du Togo (NSCT) and inaugurated by Tekize Madadozi, secretary-general of Togo’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, is running alongside the 18th review meeting of the Regional Program for Integrated Cotton Production in Africa (PR-PICA), bringing two of the continent’s most significant cotton platforms together under one roof for the first time this season.
Discussions are focused on adapting production systems to climate variability, improving yield consistency, and meeting growing global demands for traceable and sustainable supply chains. Participants are also expected to identify practical solutions for improving farmer incomes and strengthening coordination across the value chain.
“These meetings provide a valuable platform to share experiences and develop concrete responses to common challenges in the sector,” said NSCT Director General Martin Drevon.
ACA President Kassoum Kone framed the moment as one requiring structural rather than incremental change, calling for accelerated innovation, mechanisation, and producer capacity building. He stressed that stronger partnerships across the value chain will be essential to the sector’s long-term transformation and competitiveness on international markets.
The meetings come against a backdrop of uneven performance across the continent. In Togo, seed cotton production reached 60,403 metric tons in the 2024 to 2025 season, down from earlier levels, partly due to adverse weather conditions and rising input costs. However, yield improvements have been recorded in recent seasons, rising from around 800 kilograms to nearly one metric ton per hectare, reflecting better access to inputs and improved soil mapping.
The PR-PICA review, which brought together nearly 250 stakeholders from eight West and Central African countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, focused on assessing the 2025 to 2026 season and identifying measures to sustain that recovery across the subregion.
Founded in 2002, ACA exists to foster dialogue among cotton sector actors, promote sustainable development, and improve the competitiveness of African cotton in global markets.
