The African Cashew Alliance has called for stronger government policies, increased investment and deeper public-private partnerships to secure the long-term sustainability, resilience and growth of Africa’s cashew industry.
The call was made at the closing ceremony of the 2026 African Cashew Alliance Annual Cashew Conference and Expo held in Accra, which brought together more than 520 delegates from 29 countries to deliberate on the opportunities and challenges facing the continent’s cashew value chain.
The conference provided a platform for key stakeholders across the industry, including producers, processors, traders, investors and policymakers, to exchange ideas and discuss strategies aimed at improving productivity, attracting investment and strengthening the long-term performance of the sector.
Addressing participants at the closing ceremony, the Alliance’s Board Vice President, Boubacar Konta, stressed the need for greater coordination among stakeholders to address challenges across the cashew value chain. He said Africa’s ability to build a sustainable and reliable cashew supply base would depend largely on improvements in productivity, increased investment and the availability of predictable policies capable of creating a conducive environment for businesses and investors.
Mr Konta noted that while Africa has significant potential in cashew production and processing, unlocking that potential would require sustained commitment from both the public and private sectors. He emphasised that governments and industry players must work together to address constraints affecting production and create the conditions necessary for businesses to invest with confidence.
According to him, stronger policies are essential to providing the stability required for long-term investment in the industry. He said predictable policy frameworks could encourage greater participation from investors while also supporting existing businesses across the various stages of the cashew value chain.
He also underscored the importance of increasing productivity as part of efforts to ensure a sustainable and reliable supply of cashew. Improvements in productivity, he said, would be critical to strengthening the industry’s capacity to meet market demand while supporting producers and other stakeholders whose livelihoods depend on the sector.
Mr Konta further called for deeper collaboration between governments and private-sector players, stressing that neither side could independently unlock the full potential of Africa’s cashew industry. He said effective public-private partnerships would be necessary to mobilise investment, improve productivity and strengthen the various stages of the value chain.
The conference also highlighted the importance of moving beyond production to strengthen processing and value addition within Africa’s cashew industry. Greater attention to the wider value chain, including processing and trade, could help create stronger opportunities for stakeholders and improve the overall resilience of the sector.
With more than 520 delegates from 29 countries participating, the 2026 conference brought together a broad range of perspectives from across the continental cashew industry. The gathering provided an opportunity for stakeholders to assess existing challenges, explore investment opportunities and consider practical approaches to building a more sustainable and competitive sector.
The African Cashew Alliance said stronger collaboration and sustained investment would remain critical to positioning Africa’s cashew industry for sustainable growth and greater value addition. It maintained that coordinated action by governments, investors, producers, processors, traders and other industry stakeholders would be essential to securing the future of the sector.
The Alliance’s call therefore places renewed emphasis on the need for policies that support investment, interventions that improve productivity and partnerships that strengthen the entire cashew value chain. Such measures, it said, would be important in ensuring that Africa is able to maximise the opportunities presented by its cashew industry while building a more sustainable future for the sector.
Story by Ama Frimpomaa