Master Training Programme on cashew value chain opens in Sunyani

The 10th Edition of the Master Training Programme on Cashew Value Chain for ninety participants from seven African Countries has been held in Sunyani, the Bono regional capital.

The programme was jointly organised by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, the African Cashew Alliance and Partner research institutions in seven countries.

The seven countries; Ghana (22), Benin (14), Mali (2), Sierra Leone (6), Togo (1), Burkina Faso (20) and Cote d’Ivoire (25) are participating in the programme which seeks to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills of African Cashew experts along the value chain and to promote the competitiveness of African cashew industry.

The programme also provided a platform for cashew experts to share knowledge, discuss best practices and lessons learnt, and build national and regional networks for future collaboration.

It further serves as a platform for participants to learn about all aspects of the cashew value chain, from production and processing of raw cashew nuts to economics, cashew market dynamics, marketing and financing mechanisms.

Addressing the training via zoom, the Executive Director of the Completive Cashew Initiative (ComCashew), Madam Mary Adzanyo, said the current edition of the Master Training programme began in February 2020 with the remaining editions ongoing this year.

The successive sessions, she noted, will be held mainly in Ghana with satellite sessions held in-country for participants from Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Mail.

The ComCashew initiative constitutes a new type of multi-stakeholder partnership in development cooperation.

The initiative is mainly funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Private companies and government and donor agencies also support the initiative.

Madam Adzanyo said the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been commissioned with the management of the regional project as an implementing partner to provide consultation on technical issues and facilitate linkages between farmers and processors.

She stated that participants from the satellite locations will have the full training experience, including field trips. “In inter-sessions, participants return to their host institutions to conduct field work, either individually or in groups, to deepen knowledge on selected topics”, she said.

Here in Ghana, the highlight of the training session will be a visit to the Wenchi Research station.

After completion of the programme, the participants will be certified as cashew experts and will go on to train farmers, aid processors, or advice institutions in their respective countries.

In her opening remarks, Madam Justina Owusu Banahene, the Bono regional minister, observed that the Bono region is the leading producer of cashew in the West African sub-Region.

“This cash crop is cultivated in all the districts in the region, particularly the Jaman and Wenchi areas” she said.

Madam Owusu Banahene gave a snapshot of the cashew industry in the region, and acknowledged a lot of transformation over the years with the introduction of improved technologies along the value chain.

She said the industry has provided employment and income for a number of people in the region and beyond.

The Minister noted that the government has established the Tree Crop Development Authority in Ghana to regulate the sector and also launched a ten (10) year development plan to reap the huge potential that cashew production presents for the country’s economic development.

She added that the government has initiated policies aimed at promoting the diversification of tree crops under the Planting for Export and Rural Development initiative.

INCREASING CASHEW PRODUCTION

Ghana has transformed Bono East, Bono and the Ahafo regions, together known as Brong-Ahafo, into major cashew nut production areas.

This growth has positioned Ghana as one of the largest producers and exporters of raw cashew nuts in Africa.

Since 2000, Ghana’s cashew nut production has increased fourfold, and the country is currently the 2nd largest supplier of raw cashew nuts (RCN) in the world.

Despite this rapid growth, some concerns are arising about the sustainability of cashew production.

 

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