Nigeria to host 16th ACA Annual Cashew Conference in September 2022
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has, for the first time, been selected to host this year’s edition of the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Annual Cashew Conference in September.
This was revealed by the President of the ACA, Mr Babatola Faseru, at the Annual National Cashew Flag-off ceremony held in Ogbomosho Tuesday to officially open the 2022 cashew season in Nigeria.
This year’s ACA Cashew Conference, he revealed, will be held in Abuja from 12th -16th September 2022 on the theme “strengthening sustainable kernel and by-products marketing in the African cashew industry” and will bring together cashew stakeholders across the globe to discuss pertinent issues of the industry in Africa.
According to Mr Faseru, the ACA’s decision to hold its conference in Nigeria was informed by the significant growth in cashew nuts production, processing, and business in the country over the years.
“This has been long overdue considering the significance of our country in the cashew industry and it is a great joy to me,” he said.
The Conference, he said, is a great opportunity for the Nigerian cashew industry to showcase itself as a powerhouse of the African cashew industry and more importantly take advantage to attract investors into the sector.
“We will be using this opportunity to attract investors, impact knowledge, harmonize our cashew industry, and many more to this beloved country of ours,” he said.
Highlighting the benefits the country stands to get from hosting the Conference, he called on all industry players and major stakeholders of the Nigerian cashew sector to embrace this opportunity, own it and give it the needed support for a successful conference.
“Hosting the ACA Conference will benefit everyone on the cashew value chain. From the farmer to the processor, to the traders and exporters. We will be working with you all to ensure we truly make this year’s conference our own. I would like to entreat us all to give our maximum support to make it memorable and beneficial to our cashew sector here in Nigeria,” he appealed.
Speaking in an interview following the announcement, Managing Director of the ACA, Ernest Mintah, explained that Nigeria’s cashew industry has grown significantly over the years and even has great potential to grow bigger, especially in local processing. He believed that growth in the Nigerian cashew sector will not only promote economic growth in Nigeria but in the entire continent.
“Nigeria has the biggest market in Africa, and this cannot be underestimated. In our quest to build a competitive African cashew industry driven by local processing, we cannot afford to sideline our biggest market, Nigeria. We believe that Nigeria has a lot to offer the cashew industry and we are confident that through this year’s ACA Conference, the sector will grow bigger in the coming years.
Highlighting the theme for the conference, Mr Mintah said cashew stakeholders, development partners and potential investors will share knowledge and discuss major issues concerning cashew marketing, particularly kernel and by-product marketing towards the growth of the industry in Africa.
“This year’s ACA Conference will be held on the theme, strengthening sustainable kernel and by-products marketing in the African cashew industry. We hope to sensitise and impact knowledge on how industry players can properly market their kennels to attract premium prices, while also looking at making good use of their by-products,” he highlighted.
The African Cashew Alliance (ACA)’s annual Cashew Conference, for the past 16 years, has been Africa’s biggest platform that facilitates stakeholder discussions and strategic partnerships among key actors of the cashew sector, development partners and governments, bringing together cashew stakeholders across the globe.
Nigeria will join Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, and Ghana as the eighth country to host the ACA Cashew Conference over the 16 editions held since 2006. The last two editions were held online following the outbreak of Covid 19.
