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The ACA founding members developed during a first meeting in Guinea Bissau in March 2006 a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the objectives of the African Cashew Alliance and the basis for collaboration. The ACA has been developed based on this MOU.
 ACA - MOU 49.77 Kb
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 A.C.E.T. (Nigeria) Ltd, a private company registered in Nigeria, has been consistently involved in the Nigeria cashew industry over the last 12 years, initially as raw cashew nuts traders, then venturing in 1999 into processing the nuts locally for export. We are the leading exporter of processed cashew kernels in Nigeria. Production, processing and marketing of cashew nuts is still in its infancy in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. It is our aim to team up with other African stakeholders to develop the industry. ACA is a sure-bet vehicle to achieving this objective.
 Ahold Sustainable Trade Development B.V., subsidiary of Royal Ahold, a leading food retail and food service provider, values the need for responsible corporate citizenship and the need for sustainable business relationship with suppliers in the developing world. Ahold recognizes direct sourcing of good quality cashews from Africa a way of contributing to the development of the continent and the cashew industry at large. Supporting the work of the ACA will promote Ahold's interest in building a sustainable cashew supply from Africa.
 AICAJU - Mozambique Nuts Processors Association, a Mozambican Business Association registered in Maputo, Mozambique. Created under the auspices of Mozambique processors, AICAJU aims to contribute for the development of cashew subsector in Mozambique by defining and implementing along with the Government authorities and other stakeholders the right growth strategy that will help to place Mozambique Cashew Business among the best in the world as it was once. Furthermore, AICAJU as a member of ACA will do its bests to foster the private-public alliance that will be the driving force to build a stronger cashew industry in Africa.
 ARECA - the « Autorité de Régulation du Coton et de l’Anacarde », is the cotton and cashew nut authority of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire. ARECA is in charge of drawing up the regulatory framework to govern the running of activities both in the cotton and cashew nut sectors. As a state body ARECA is also charged to assist the Government in areas and policies pertaining to the overall development of the cotton and cashew nut industry and advice in the negotiation of international arrangements. As such ARECA is seeking to participate in the promotion of joint actions, exchange of experiences through regional gathering as initiated within the ACA.
 BioHybrids AgriSystems Ltd, an international agricultural consultancy and technology development Company incorporated and based in the United Kingdom, wishes to foster continued development of sustainable agricultural production systems in general but particularly focussing on tree crops. BioHybrids AgriSystems has a well established history of work on cashew including on-going projects in Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar. We are keen to develop collaborative partnerships which allow the development of integrated production of cashew with appropriate value being added at each of the stages from production to consumer. We are interested to use our experience of cashew growing and production to help catalyse development of the African cashew sector.
 Root Capital Inc., a U.S.-based financial services nonprofit incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provides affordable credit and financial education to smallholder producer enterprises that foster grassroots economic development and environmental stewardship in Africa and Latin America. EcoLogic Finance recognizes that timely access to capital and financial capacity building can play a vital role in alliance-based efforts to support regionally competitive industries such as African cashews. Aligning with the ACA will enable EcoLogic Finance to continue actively partnering with a broad range of supply chain actors and technical assistance providers wherever natural programmatic synergies can be identified and leveraged for increased efficiency and impact.
 Global Trading & Agency BV (GTA) is a broker/agent in various nuts and dried fruits based and registered in Bleskensgraaf in the Netherlands. We see it as one of our company's goals to build businesses in developing countries in order to grow local economies, which will result in income for the local community. GTA's mission is to trade with dignity and honesty and establish relationships with our suppliers and customers based on integrity, mutual commitment and loyalty. As a result of our Christian values, GTA is dedicated to improving the African cashew industry.
 GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, hereinafter referred to as “GTZ”, is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GTZ's main offices are located at Dag-Hammarskjöldweg 1-5, 65760 Eschborn, Germany. GTZ is a government-owned corporation with international operations on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and other national and international, public and private-sector clients. GTZ is registered at Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main under HRB 12394.
The development of agri-based value chains, such as cashew nuts, for poverty reduction has become a major issue of its work. By joining ACA, GTZ seeks to enhance private and public investment and institutional innovations for increased local value addition. GTZ will support pilot projects with cashew producers / their organizations that are already involved in technical co-operation and on sustainable partnerships and international firms as well as development agencies.
Kenya Nut Company Limited (KNC), is a major stakeholder in the cashew industry in Kenya. In conjunction with other players, KNC has encouraged production of cashew nut through extension services using our full-time field-based officers in the cashew growing areas of Kenya. The company is currently the leading processor in Kenya. KNC recognizes ACA being capable of complementing our efforts and providing vital linkages in our shared vision.
 Kraft Foods Inc., a U.S. company incorporated in the State of Delaware, recognizes that responsible corporate citizenship is an expression of its values as a company and integral to long-term business success. As one of the largest cashew purchasers in the world, Kraft considers developing sustainable sources of quality cashews as an important contribution it can make to the long-term future of the entire cashew industry. Aligning with ACA will advance Kraft's interest in strengthening the sustainability of its cashew supply base.
 LEAD International is a non-profit organization that is
dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty by employing entrepreneurial
business principles in a revolutionary way. LEAD provides technical
training, proven principles of reliable relationship development,
long-term hand in hand mentorship, and various forms of capitalization. Its goal is to create holistic community development that impacts
public health, spiritual development, leadership creation, and empowers
people to be the sustainable answer to their own need. LEAD helps
various forms of leadership from national and local governmental
groups, to local churches and community groups of all faiths, to make
decisions that help people at the grass roots level.
 Micronix Systems Limited is one of the leading Tanzanian based ICT solution providers. Micronix has diversified into agriculture processing and acquired two cashew processing factories in Southern Tanzania. Micronix intends to develop the cashew industry and its value-added finished products by introducing the state-of-the-art technology, which will mutually benefit the needs of the nation and will be a step forward in the eradication of poverty. By joining the ACA, Micronix will increase its involvement with other stakeholders throughout Africa and will promote best practices for cashew processing by leveraging knowledge and skills from the other African players in this sector.
 Olam International, a leading global supply chain manager of agricultural products and food ingredients, seeks to foster long-term sustainable partnerships with all its stakeholders, including the communities within which it works, while pursuing its governing objective of maximizing shareholder value. Olam considers the Africa cashew sector as fundamental to its business and has material investments in trading and processing African cashews. Working with and supporting the ACA will promote Olam's goal of building partnerships with other African cashew sector stakeholders.
 Organic Cashew Nuts G.I.E. (OCN), a cashew nut processing company registered and based in Senegal, was founded and operates on the principles of Fair Trade. OCN seeks to work with farmers to increase regional cashew production and promote sustainable organic farming practices. In association with ACA, OCN will be able to stay current with the best practices of the international cashew industry and meet its goals of creating jobs and fostering economic growth in rural cashew producing regions.
 The Richard Franco Agency, Inc., a U.S. company incorporated in the State of New Jersey, has been a cashew nut broker since 1948 with significant experience working with African producers in several countries since the late 1970's; currently we represent producers--from all major cashew processing countries--on sales to North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, etc. Our goal in supporting the ACA is to help promote cashew kernel market awareness and understanding by the stakeholders of the African cashew industry. We hope that our experience can help lend some guidance to entrepreneurs as they develop a profitable and responsible industry.
 ROTA and its processing division, Crown Cashew, are a full service cashew company from the buying and shelling of raw cashews in Guinea-Bissau to the roasting and distributing of cooked cashews in the United States.
 SITA S.A, Societe Ivoirienne de Traitement d'Anacarde is a cashew processor registered in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. SITA has worked to resolve the problems of poverty, unemployment and rural exodus through the development of cashew processing capacity in Cote d'Ivoire. SITA believes it can bring this experience to the ACA to benefit industry development across Africa.
 SNV, The Netherlands Development Organization an agency of the Government of the Netherlands with offices in some 26 countries is headquartered at The Hague. SNV Guinea Bissau is a provider of business development, market access promotion and supply chain development advisory services. SNV considers the cashew sector a potentially viable sector with the capacity and opportunity for reducing poverty. To achieve this goal, SNV has invested resources working with partners, to strengthen capacity in quality processing and increased exports through market linkages. SNV is interested in promotion and facilitating the business conditions that favors value-addition to the sector - particularly, for the vulnerable groups entrenched in the sector. Aligning with, and supporting a continental body like the ACA is one of the promising avenues to achieve the goal of developing a vibrant value-added cashew industry.
 The Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), is a regional public-private partnership that seeks to promote and improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of smallholder tree crop farmers in West/Central Africa. STCP is managed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, a non-profit international agriculture research institute established in 1967 under the laws of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and based at Oyo Road, Ibadan, Nigeria. STCP considers the ACA to be an opportunity to expand its experience to-date into the cashew sector. STCP brings with it technical expertise in proven participatory approaches for on-farm testing and effective dissemination of production technologies and knowledge to smallholder producers, and in the strengthening of farmer organizations for greater producer engagement with markets.
The Cashew Development Project, located within the Directorate of Crop Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Accra, is implementing a 6-year African Development Bank sponsored project on behalf of the Government of Ghana. The project aims at increasing cashew production and village level processing with the view to improving living standards of participating farm families, enhancing food security and contributing to foreign exchange earnings of the country.
The Cashewnut Processors Association (CPA) is registered in Tanzania. The members of this association own the Masasi Cashewnut Factory in the Masasi District of Tanzania. The CPA processes cashew and exports kernel to customers in Europe and America. By joining the ACA, the CPA hopes to use its experience in mechanized processing to benefit industry stakeholders across Africa.
 The Cashew Processors and Exporters Association of Ghana (CAPEAG), an organization of cashew traders and processors in Ghana, promotes the development of the cashew industry in Ghana through policy advocacy, promotion of value addition, and collaboration with relevant institutions for the benefit of all stakeholders. Our objectives are to get members to cooperate in the marketing of cashew, lobbying for regulatory reforms that promote the industry, and promotion of the interests of the cashew sector actors, among others. We believe that our linkage with ACA, which has interest in the development of the cashew industry in Africa, will enhance the realisation of our objectives.
 U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency of the government of the United States of America. Over the past decade, USAID has invested significant resources in promoting the development of the African cashew sector, with funding for projects in both East and West Africa. USAID is seeking to increase the efficiency of its own efforts through the creation of this public-private alliance, as well as to bring other public and private sector parties into this development effort.
Other founding members, for legal reasons not included in the MOU:
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