16th ACA Cashew Conference: tentative Conference program released

With few days to the biggest cashew event in Africa, the 16^th African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Cashew Conference and Expo, the ACA has announced a tentative program for this year’s conference in Abuja, Nigeria.

The tentative program for this year’s Conference includes series of presentations, thematic forum discussions, and information sessions featuring seasoned cashew experts, analysts, industry players and development partners that will sensitise participants on the conference theme and other related industry issues.

The official opening ceremony will be held on the 12^{th of} September, 2022 at the Conference venue, the Sheraton Abuja Hotel, with speeches from top government officials, major cashew development agencies and partners. This will be followed by a cocktail party.

Three plenary sessions have been scheduled to take place on the second day, 13^th September, 2022. The first will focus on discussing the conference theme, strengthening sustainable kernel and by-product marketing in the African cashew industry. This session will be moderated by seasoned cashew expert, Herman uit de Bosch, from FairMatch Support, with a scene setter presentation by another expert, Jim Fitzpatrick.

Jim Fitzpatrick will then moderate a group of African cashew industry policy makers and development partners in the second plenary session to discuss the topic, enabling policy and strategic actions for efficient marketing of African cashew kernels and by-products.

The third plenary session, on the topic, kernels, and by-products processing for a sustainable industry in Africa will be moderated by Marius Quindia from Prosper Cashew. This plenary session will feature experienced local kernel and by-product processors from four different Arican countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana who will discuss the challenges facing sustainable local processing and what interventions are needed in this regard.

There will be simultaneous production and marketing sessions on the 14^{th of} September, 2022. Moderators of the production sessions include seasoned cashew production researchers and experts: Professors Peter Masawe and Mauricette N’goran from BeninCaju and University of Felix Houphouet-Biogny, respectively, Dr Paul Adu Gyimfi from Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), Seth Osie Akoto from Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Joy Heitliger and Mohamed Salifu, both from GIZ/MOVE. They will be moderating other experts and researchers on topics like, cashew research and development, cashew genetics and breeding, cashew agronomy and cropping, cashew pests and diseases, among others.

The marketing sessions will also be moderated and empanelled by experts in cashew marketing, including Jim Fitzpatrick from Ingredient Sourcing Solutions, Valantine Atchaoue and Sarah El Ouadili, both from Prosper Cashew. Topics include new markets and opportunities for African Cashew products, by-product marketing for the international and local markets and access to finance.

Other major events and activities include a Master Training Program (MTP) alumni meeting, Women in Cashew Breakfast workshop, Development and Technical Partner meeting and a field trip to a local cashew processing factory in Nigeria. There will also be exhibition of cashew products, machines and innovations, as well as business-to-business meetings throughout the Conference.  

“Even though this program is tentative, we do not expect major changes. These activities have been outlined to help us achieve our goal of strengthening kernel and by-product marketing in the African Casew Industry, geared towards building a sustainable and competitive industry in Africa,” Head of Communications and Membership of the ACA, Blessing Okam, said.

The ACA Cashew Conference is an annual gathering of the global cashew industry to reflect on the fast-growing industry. For 15 years, the ACA Conference has served as a unique opportunity for African and international stakeholders of the cashew industry to converge and discuss industry challenges and opportunities, find solutions, build, and renew partnerships toward building a sustainable cashew industry in the continent and beyond.

The 16^th edition of the ACA Cashew Conference will be hosted for the first in Nigeria from the 12^th -15^th September 2022 at the Sheraton Abuja Hotel, in Abuja, Nigeria. Online registration is still ongoing. Visit www.acalivevents.com to register.

Below is the full tentative program for the 16^th ACA Cashew Conference and Expo.