In an effort to show its exalted position as a powerhouse of the African cashew industry and more importantly take advantage to attract investors into the sector, Nigeria has been selected to host the 16th edition of the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) in September this year by bringing together cashew stakeholders across the globe.
The ACA President, Babatola Faseru, while speaking at the Annual National Cashew Flag-off ceremony in Ogbomosho, to open the 2022 cashew season, disclosed that hosting the conference will benefit everyone on the cashew value chain, from the farmer to the processor, to the traders and exporters.
With Nigeria hosting the 16 editions of the conference, the country will join Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, and Ghana as the eighth hosting country since 2006, as the last two editions were held online following the outbreak of Covid 19.
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Faseru added that the conference has been scheduled to take place in Abuja from 12th -16th September 2022 with the theme “Strengthening Sustainable Kernel and By-products Marketing in the African Cashew Industry”.
He disclosed that it is the first time the country will be hosting the African wide event, and that its been long overdue considering the significance of Nigeria in the cashew industry.
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“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.
On his own, Managing Director of ACA, Ernest Mintah, emphasized that the role of Nigeria has the biggest market in Africa cannot be underestimated and that ACA can’t afford to sideline its biggest market, adding that he’s confident that this year’s conference will help the sector to grow bigger.
