ACA hosts Burkinabe delegation to discuss cashew development

The African Cashew Alliance (ACA), last Friday (30^th September 2022), hosted a delegation from Burkina Faso at its Secretariat in Accra to discuss critical issues concerning the Burkina Faso cashew industry, its growth and sustainability.

The meeting highlighted major industry issues, including the respective roles of the public and private sectors and their collaborative roles in building a viable industry in Burkina Faso and Africa at large.

Local cashew processing, strong supply chain linkage, strengthening actor associations and interprofessions, and creating the right and conducive policy environment, including encouraging interregional trade and cooperation among cashew producing countries were major discussion points of the meeting.

The 12-member delegation was led by the Director General of Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Mr. Ahmed Racine YAGO, and included the President of the Comité Interprofessionnel de l'Anacarde du Burkina Faso (CIAB), Sanfo Ibrahim, Director General of the Conseil Burkinabé de l’Anacarde (CBA), Mr. Sogh-Kelo SOME and other major stakeholders of the cashew industry in Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is one of the major cashew producers in Africa, producing around 100,000 tons of raw cashew nuts (RCN) annually. However, the growth of the Burkinabe sector has suffered a setback due to political instability and insecurity over the past few years, affecting the industry’s viability.

The meeting sought to analyze the situation in the country, and how the ACA can partner with the government and the CIAB to revamp the industry in Burkina Faso.

According to Mr. YAGO, Burkina Faso is working to increase its cashew production, and massively increase local processing with the aim of creating jobs and reducing poverty. He, therefore, invited the ACA to provide technical support and information to help achieve these objectives.

He said the government of Burkina Faso is committed to working collaboratively with the private sector, especially the ACA to facilitate the growth of the industry in the country.

He invited the ACA to consider Burkina Faso to host the Annual ACA Cashew Conference as the country is ready to host the cashew world and will put all measures in place to make it successful.

Managing Director of the ACA, Ernest Mintah, believed with the right partnerships and collaboration between the private and public sectors, the Burkina cashew industry will get back on its feet.

“The situation in Burkina Faso is one that is familiar to us. We know political instability is a major challenge confronting several West African countries. I am glad about the strong collaboration between the public sector and the CIAB. As an industry alliance, we are always open to collaborating with all stakeholders to develop the industry in Africa,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of research in building a strong, and sustainable cashew industry, especially in increasing production and called on the Burkinabe government to prioritize and invest in cashew research.

To address some of the key challenges affecting the industry in Burkina Faso, the ACA will partner with the government and the CIAB to host the next edition of the Sahelian Cashew Forum (FOCAS) in Ouagadougou in 2023.