African Cashew AllianceAlliance Africaine de Cajous

Presentation ACA Country level Meeting Bénin, Cotonou13 September 2006

Carlos Costa – ACA PresidentAiCaju Mozambique

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Background

Public Private Partnership

• Juin 2005: Baltimore (USA) Reunion– USAID, Kraft, Ahold, Olam, representatives of farmer organizations, cashew

processors from Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, TechnoServe, West Africa Trade Hub, Worldbank, IFC, Enterprise Works

– Need for an overall body that promotes the African cashew and supports the industry to capitalize on its potential

• March 2006: Guinea Bissau Meeting– Active members choose Executive Committee– MOU gets drafted: 21 signatories from 11 countries– WATH takes up Secretariat with involvement of TechnoServe and active members

• June 2006: Secretariat at West Africa Trade Hub in Accra, Ghana– Structuring efforts and activities of ACA– Driving force for activities

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Objectives

Industry body: promotion of the African cashew at home and abroad

• Increase economic growth of the cashew chain- employment creation – infrastructure development– Increase economic growth of the cashew chain

• Increase cashew farmer income– improved production innovations– improved crop quality and post-harvest handling– agronomic research– by-product utilization– local trade facilitation

• Increase export of cashew kernels – development of local value-added processing businesses – expansion of export volume and value

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Structure

• Executive Committee

• Board of Advisors

• Secretariat

• Steering Committee

• National Consultative Committees

• Members

• General Assembly

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Executive Committee & Secretariat

• Carlos Costa – President (AiCaju – Mozambique)• Massogbe Toure – Vice President (SITA – Cote d’Ivoire)• Robert Yapo – Vice President (Sustainable Tree Crop Program – Cote

d’Ivoire)• Kees Blokland – Global Trading Netherlands• Ashok Krishen – Olam International

• Secretariat – West Africa Trade Hub, Accra, Ghana

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Membership

• Anyone in the cashew business can be a member (individuals, private and public institutions)

• Participation in General Assembly which will be held every 2 years, • Review ACA activities and elect the Executive Committee• Members get user name and ID for access to web-site, bi-monthly

newsletter, and voting rights in General Assembly (including via the website)

• Invited to country level meetings• Vote for the national representative• Members will pay an annual fee according to established criteria as of

January 2007

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Founding Members signing MOU

Producers, processors, exporters, traders, shippers, financial institutions, buyers, research institutes, government bodies

U.S. Agency for International Development Kraft FoodsOlam International Global Trading & Agency

AICAJU - Mozambique Nuts Processors Association SITA S.A, Societe Ivoirienne de Traitement d’Anacarde

Sustainable Tree Crops Program Cashew Development Project Ghana

SNV, The Netherlands Development Organization ROTA The Richard Franco AgencyA.C.E.T. (Nigeria)Organic Cashew Nuts

The Cashew Processors and Exporters Association of Ghana Ahold Sustainable Trade Development

EcoLogic Finance BioHybrids AgriSystems

Kenya Nut Company Micronix SystemsThe Cashewnut Processors Association

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2006-2008 Priority Activities

• Organize steering committee with country representatives

– Communicate ACA & increase membership– Facilitate strategies to develop all aspects of the cashew sector– Facilitate creation of new cashew processing businesses– Knowledge Transfer: Gather, introduce and share international

Best Practices– Train across the value chain with existing businesses – Advocate successful models, both policy and industry-wide

competitiveness strategies– Promote sales of African cashew kernels, increase quantities &

improve quality to meet international standards– Track of cashew sector industry and development initiatives– Assist with fund-raising efforts for cashew industry development

projects

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2006 – 2007 Activities in Process

• Country level meetings– Benin September 13th 2006– Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Tanzania, Mozambique

• ACA Marketing & Communications (website, newsletter)

• West Africa Cashew Retail Market Study

• Peanut & Tree Nut Association Convention (USA Arizona January 2007)

• International Nut Council Convention (Spain May 2007)

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What is in it for you

• Platform to meet • connect to other countries • find expertise • use and change experiences

And what the ACA does not….- Funding, financing- Execution of in-country projects

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How can you contribute

• Find influent National Cashew bodies able to establish linkages with ACA.

• Create a group composed by main cashew business stakeholders to integrate the National Consultative committee.

• Elect one representative to become member of the African Cashew Steering Committee.

• Manage to create conditions to host a ACA country meeting by surveying main problems and possible solutions to be part of the meeting Agenda.

• Motivate main stakeholders to participate on those discussions and contribute on the best way to be organized to be linked to ACA to benefit from its services.

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Thank you