GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew participates in the 17th ACA annual cashew conference & Expo

Senegal, more precisely the municipality of Saly, hosted the 17th edition of the Annual Cashew Conference and Exhibition organised by the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) from September 18th  to 21st, 2023.  The conference was supported among others by GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), and the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).USDA/PRO-Cashew, Benin Cajù, Prosper Cashew and LIFFT Cashew, the Interprofession cajou of Senegal (ICAS), the Conseil du Cotton et de l’Anacarde (CCA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID),

The opening ceremony was graced by notable figures who shared their insights, including Mr. Boubacar Konta, President of the Cashew Interprofessional Association of Senegal (ICAS), Hon Babatola Faseru, President of the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), Mr. Moussa Balde, Minister of Scientific Research of Senegal, Mr.Theodor Proffe, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Dakar and others. They brought valuable perspectives to the event.

Over 400 professionals from Africa and beyond gathered to discuss the future of Africa's cashew industry. The ACA Conference plays a vital role in the development of the cashew industry in Africa. It provides a unique platform for exchanging knowledge, strengthening partnerships and promoting innovation in the sector. This year's theme was "Sustaining the African Cashew Industry: Assessing the Journey so far and looking forward " . During the event, Rita Weidinger, team leader of GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew project moderated the first panel on the theme  “Sustaining the African cashew industry: Assessing the Journey so far and looking forward with experts like Jim Fitzpatrick among others as a panelist. Luis Rodriguez moderated discussions on crucial topics like access to finance for the cashew value chain and Yvonne Chileshe provided insights as a panelist on the topic of access to finance for other important value chains like corn, rice, cocoa, and livestock. These discussions emphasized the significance of good business planning and the need for technical and management skills.

Besides ACA conference panels, the Master Training Program Alumni meeting and the CasheWomen meeting were successful. On September 19, the meeting of women in the cashew sector “CasheWomen” ended with the launch of the English version of the cashew recipe book. The ACA Director General and MOVE team leader Rita Weidinger launched the book and all participants received a copy to encourage local cashew consumption. The MOVE-ComCashew Booth was visited by the Minister for Scientific Research (Senegal)-Mr. Moussa Balde, the Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Côte d’Ivoire)- Mr. Kobenan Kouassi ADJOUMANI, President of the African Cashew Alliance Mr. Babatola Faseru, and the Managing Director of the African Cashew Alliance – Mr. Ernest Mintah.  

The 17th edition of the conference ended on September 21, 2023. During this closing ceremony, GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew received an excellence award and Rita Weidinger, team leader of the GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew project, received an award in recognition of her work over the years in the cashew sector. To close the conference, the President of the ACA, Mr. Babatola Faseru, announced that Burkina Faso will host the 18th edition of the ACA Conference in September 2024.

Authors:

Valerie Toffey, Raissa Diomandé, Edouard Dagri – MOVE Project