Ghana hosts cashew industry conference
Ghana will host the sixth Council of Ministers' Conference of the Consultative International Cashew Council (CICC) to promote issues related to the cashew value chain.
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Alongside the conference would be a cashew research dialogue, cashew fair and an exhibition in Accra. These events will start from Tuesday, April 16 and end on Saturday, April 20, this year.
Eleven countries with 22 Trade and Agriculture Ministers are expected to attend the conference at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel. The other countries participating in the conference include Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire.
The event, in line with the Tree Crops Development Agenda, is to provide the opportunity for the country to demonstrate the progress made in the cashew sector and to attract potential investors into the industry.
Currently, Ghana exports about 30,000 tonnes of cashew annually. Last year’s exports yielded $400 million. The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), Yaw Oteng, who made this known at a press briefing in Accra last Wednesday, said participants, including ministers, experts and researchers from member states at the cashew research dialogue would share knowledge, discuss achievements and identify gaps in research and development within the cashew industry.
The event would also facilitate cross-learning and sharing of experiences among the scientific community for the purpose of informing policy decisions and investment needs in the sector, he added.
The Cashew Expo and the Exhibition, on the theme "Projecting the cashew sector through local consumption, value addition and Job creation" would showcase various cashew products, educate the public on their benefits and expose local cashew processors to potential markets.
The exhibition is expected to increase the consumption rate of cashew products and create visibility for small and medium size cashew processors. Mr Oteng indicated that the event would showcase the country as the preferred destination for the production, trading and exports of cashew.
"Ghana hosting the 6th Council of Ministers' conference is a testament to our commitment to the cashew sector's development and our desire to showcase the potential of this industry," the Deputy CEO of TCDA said.
Benefit of event
Mr Oteng said the event would also attract more foreign direct investment that would help stabilise the country' currency and further develop the industry. He called for full participation of all stakeholders in the value chain, especially producers, aggregators, traders, processors and exporters to grow their cashew businesses.
Due to progress made in the country over the past years, Mr Oteng said the country was being considered to host the research and training centre for member countries in Africa, with the Wenchi Agriculture Station being identified for an upgrade to serve that purpose.
CICC background
The CICC was established in 2016 with the aim of providing a framework for consultation and to promote the development of the cashew sector in the member states through coordination of policies and cooperation between states.
It was created on the sidelines of the second edition of the international exhibition of cashew processing equipment and technology (SIETTA) with its headquarters in Abidjan. The vision of CICC is to serve the community of member countries through the promotion, advocacy, knowledge sharing, innovation, partnership and provision of platforms for discussion on issues of the global importance of the cashew value chain.
