ACA Team Attends Two International Industry Conferences
Two large international conferences, one in the U.S. and one in Dubai, have allowed ACA to meet with key industry players and partners and discuss the development of the industry. From the 15th to the 18th of January, ACA Managing Director Dr. Oyewole Babafemi and ACA Finance Manager Akwasi Adom-Dankwa participated at the 4-day business convention organized by the Peanut and Tree Nuts Processors Association (PTNPA) at the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.A. The PTNPA convention brings together most US peanut and tree nut processors along with many foreign processors based in Europe and Asia. As a standing member of this critical and active business association, ACA has been invited to attend this convention as a key partner during the past couple of years.
During this event, Dr. Oyewole and Adom-Dankwa met with a number of key private sector stakeholders to discuss the activities of the African Cashew Alliance, identifying possible areas for partnership, and exploring American and European processors’ expectations for African cashew nuts. ACA members present seized this opportunity to display the enormous potential of the African cashew, highlighting the benefits that foreign companies, especially roaster and global traders, and US can gain from supporting the industry. Consequently, a number of companies expressed strong interest in sourcing directly from Africa or even investing in a factory with the assistance of ACA as an industry platform.
From the 18th to the 20th of February, a team from the ACA, including the Managing Director, Business Advisor and the Human Resources Advisor, attended the World Cashew Convention held in Dubai. ACA Executive Committee members, Mr. Tola Faseru from NCAN and Mr. Ronald Zaal from TDG, also participated in the event. The convention attracted more than 250 delegates from over 28 countries, including cashew traders, processors, suppliers, machinery, and supply chain managers. ACA participated as a speaker and exhibitor, showcasing the organization and its services to over 100 participants who visited the ACA exhibition booth.
During the three-day event, Dr. Oyewole gave a presentation on “ACA's Initiatives in Promoting Investments in African Cashew Sector” at the Investor Forum, while Dahiya delivered a presentation on RCN quality at the “Meeting RCN Buyers’ Expectations” plenary session. The ACA delegates also hosted Business-to-Business roundtables with a number of private sector executives and company representatives interested in sourcing cashew, including RCN and Processed Nuts, or engaging in other business and investment opportunities in Africa.
At both events, ACA promoted the upcoming 2016 ACA World Cashew Festival and Expo to be held in Guinea Bissau (Guinea-Bissau is a major player in the West African cashew sector with 240,000MT per annum), and began the process of securing partnership and participation.
Overall, the conferences were both a huge success and ACA is pleased to have represented our members and the African cashew industry to the international market
