ACA Hosts Second Workshop in Côte d’Ivoire under USAID WATIH
From the 24th to the 25th of November in Abidjan, ACA held its second workshop under its partnership with the USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (WATIH). The US Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide. The workshop, targeted at cashew processors in Burkina Faso, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, was held for a series of two days and welcomed a total of 15 participants. The goal of the workshops is to significantly increase the capacity and technical knowledge of cashew processing in the West African cashew value chain.
Mr. Soungari Sekongo, from ACA’s partner organization RONGEAD N’kalô, gave the first presentation on international market behavior, market trend analysis, cashew marketing, price fluctuation, and overall status of the industry. This information is crucial to the ability of processors to negotiate and succeed in the international market. ACA Seal Coordinator, Mrs. Dorcas Amoh facilitated the training sessions for the cashew processors on subjects of food safety, such as good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, HACCP implementation and the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, as well as environmental protection strategies. The trainings also included interactive activities where participants staged an HACCP application for various scenarios, such as finding insects in a batch of cashew. These standards are highly important for any processor who hopes to produce quality nuts and export internationally.
Mr. Ouattara Bassifou, from COCOPRAGEL, attended the workshop and represented le Conseil du Coton et de l’Anacarde (CCA). CCA, a long time partner of ACA, is a government institution whose mission is to strengthen the industry in Côte d'Ivoire. He delivered the opening and closing remarks to participants and stressed the importance of capacity building and collaboration within the industry. During the workshop, the presence of a CCA representative allowed for constructive dialogue on possible areas of collaboration between the agency and local companies.
The topics learned at the training are crucial to building the technical skills and long-term potential for West African cashew processors to be competitive in the international market. This workshop will be followed by four more throughout West Africa to complete the workshop series under ACA’s joint project with USAID WATIH.
*This workshop is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the African Cashew Alliance and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
