UCC–USIBRAS Partnership Set To Transform Ghana's Cashew Industry Through Skills Development

Strategic Collaboration Aims To Enhance Competitiveness, Create Jobs, And Strengthen Ghana's Agricultural Value Chain The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has taken a significant step toward advancing
Ghana's agricultural transformation agenda by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with USIBRAS Limited to provide specialized capacity-building programmes for processors within the country's cashew value chain. The partnership forms part of the Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Programme 11, a strategic bilateral initiative between the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the Government of Ghana. Jointly implemented by NIRAS, the programme seeks to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth through enhanced competitiveness in the cashew and oil palm sectors. The initiative underscores the growing importance of industry-academia collaboration in addressing skills gaps and unlocking opportunities within Ghana's agribusiness sector. By equipping processors with modern technical knowledge and practical competencies, the project is to improve productivity, strengthen.

food safety standards, and enhance access to international markets. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Acting Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Professor Denis Worlanyo Aheto, highlighted the enormous potential of the cashew industry to drive economic growth, create employment opportunities, boost exports, and improve livelihoods, particularly in rural communities. He noted that realizing the full potential of the sector requires a highly skilled
workforce capable of meeting global standards in processing, quality assurance, traceability, certification, and regulatory compliance. "The cashew sector presents immense opportunities for industrial transformation and sustainable development. However, these opportunities can only be fully harnessed through strategic investments in human capital and skills development," he emphasized.
As part of the agreement, UCC has developed a competency-based curriculum designed to deliver short professional courses tailored specifically for actors in the cashew processing industry. The training programme will combine classroom instruction at the university with practical, hands-on industrial experience at USIBRAS Limited.

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