Omanghana
The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has called for stronger cooperation among African cashew-producing countries to build a globally competitive industry driven by local processing and value addition.
Speaking at the 2026 African Cashew Alliance Conference and Expo in Accra, the minister urged producing countries to regard one another as strategic partners rather than competitors struggling for access to the same international markets.
The conference brought together delegates and stakeholders from major cashew-producing countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Tanzania and Mozambique.
Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare said deeper collaboration would enable African countries to share expertise, develop common standards and strengthen their collective position in the global cashew market.
She announced that the Government of Ghana was committing approximately $200 million to support tree-crop production, with the cashew industry expected to be one of the main beneficiaries.
The investment is intended to increase production, expand local processing capacity and strengthen Ghana’s domestic cashew value chain.
The minister noted that although Africa produces a substantial share of the world’s raw cashew nuts, limited processing capacity means much of the crop is exported in its unprocessed form. This prevents producing countries from retaining a greater share of the income generated across the global value chain.
She said improving local processing would help Ghana and other African countries create sustainable employment, increase export earnings and reduce their dependence on raw commodity exports.
Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare also invited private investors and development partners to support Ghana’s efforts by investing in processing plants, grading technologies and internationally recognized certification systems.
She explained that stronger grading and certification mechanisms would improve product quality, enhance traceability and allow locally processed cashew products to meet the requirements of international markets.
The government’s cashew-sector program forms part of a broader strategy to industrialize agriculture by linking production to processing, manufacturing and exports.
The minister said partnerships between governments, farmers, processors, researchers, financial institutions and investors would be essential to building a resilient industry capable of competing globally.
She encouraged participating countries to use the conference to establish practical partnerships that would address shared challenges, expand intra-African trade and strengthen Africa’s presence in the international cashew industry.
Source:Omanghana
