ACA Begins Workshop Series under USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub Project
From the 3rd to the 4th of November in Cotonou, ACA held its first workshop under its partnership with the USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (WATIH). The workshop, targeted cashew processors and market information system (MIS) professionals in Benin, Ghana and Nigeria, was held for a series of two days and welcomed a total of 15 participants. The goal of the workshops is to significantly increase the capacity and technical knowledge for cashew processing managers and MIS professionals in the West African cashew value chain.
The workshop ran two different sessions for processors and market information professionals. ACA Seal Coordinator, Dorcas Amoh facilitated the training sessions for the cashew processors on subjects of food safety, such as good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, HACCP implantation and the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, as well as environmental protection strategies. These issues are crucial to the international competitiveness and sustainability for processing companies in the international market. At the same time, ACA MIS & Partnership Coordinator, Olivier Kabré facilitated the MIS trainings on international market behavior, market trend analysis, price trends, data collection and dissemination methods, cashew marketing and export policies, and overall economic development in the industry.
Throughout the workshop, the importance of diverse stakeholders' roles was emphasized. MIS and processors were able to gather together at the end of the workshop and discuss areas of overlap and possible partnership opportunities within the industry. The trainings were well received by all participants who will return to their factories with increased technical knowledge and market linkages. This workshop will be followed by five more throughout West Africa to complete the workshop series under ACA’s joint project with USAID WATIH.
