ACA Annual Cashew Conference 2026-Ghana-Program

2026 ACA Annual Cashew Conference & Expo

September 15 - 18, 2026

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La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana  

12 Days to Go!

Program as of Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Pre-Conference Activities: Sunday, September 13, 2026

9:00 – 17:00               ACA Board Sub-Committee meetings

Pre-Conference Activities: Monday, September 14, 2026

8:00 - 17:00  

On-site Conference Registration

9:00 - 12:00

ACA Board Meeting

13:30-17:00     

MOVE – ComCashew Board Meeting

Day-1: Tuesday, September 15, 2026

8:00 - 17:00

On-site Conference Registration

8:00 - 9:00

Arrival of participants

9:00 - 12:00

Official Opening Ceremony

Venue: Ocean View Dome  

Presentation of Protocol List: Ernest Mintah, ACA Managing Director

Addresses from: 

• ACA
• TCDA
• Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness 
• CICC
• India High Commission
• World Bank 
• SECO/SWISS Embassy  
• EU Delegation in Ghana
• H.E. Moussa Saleh BATRAKI, Secretary General, OACPS
• Leonie Reese, Deputy Head of Mission, German Embassy to Ghana
• Afrexim Bank
• Address by Hon Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Ghana's Minister of Trade, Industry and Agri-business
• Guest of Honor and Keynote Address by Hon Eric Opoku, Ghana's Minister of Food and Agriculture 

12:00 - 13:00

Official Opening of the ACA Annual Cashew Expo

                      Venue: Ocean View Dome

Parallel:

ACA Annual

Cashew Exposition

13:00 - 14:30

 Welcome Lunch – Networking – Exhibition

14:30 – 15:45

Policy Presentations: Emerging Cashew Policies in Africa

         Venue:   Ocean View Dome

Moderator:  Olivier Kabre, COP-WEECAP, Côte d'Ivoire

• Ghana Cashew Policy Outlook – TCDA/MoFA

               Presenter: TBD

• Nigeria Cashew Policy – Validation Results

   Presenter: Mrs. Olumuyiwa Ajayi-Ade, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment  

• New Cashew Development Program – Mozambique

                        Presenter: Sir Jorge Vidigal Fole, Director General, IAM, IP

• Bilateral Cashew Collaboration Agreement – Mozambique and Tanzania

15.45 – 16.15

Launching of ACA Cashew Barometer

Venue:   Ocean View Dome

16:30 – 18:30

Opening Plenary Session

Sustainable Cashew Supply: Addressing the Gap between global consumption and production

             Venue:   Ocean View Dome

Moderator: Jim FitPratrick, Ingredient Sourcing Solutions, Ireland 

Panelists:

• Maria Verschoof, Mama Cashew, Tanzania 
• Ibrahim Sanfo, ACA, Burkina Faso
• Herman uit de Bosch, SNI, The Netherlands   
• Kees Blokland, Nut 2, Netherlands
• Daniel Gemana, Vertex Agro, Nigeria

18:30 – 19:00

ComCashew Viable Project Awards - Business Support Facility   Venue:   Ocean View Dome

Moderator: Lydia Baffour-Awuah, GIZ/MOVE, Ghana 

Day-2: Wednesday, September 16, 2026

9:00-10:30

Plenary Session 1: Realigning Policies for competitive and Sustainable Cashew Supply

Venue:    Ocean View Dome

Moderator:  Mary Adzanyo, MOVE, Cote d’Ivoire

Panelists:

• Dr. Andy Osei Okrah, TCDA, Ghana
• Mamadou Berte, CCAK, Cote d’Ivoire
• Francis Alfred, CBT, Tanzania
• Soro Beh, OIA – Anacarde, Cote d’Ivoire
• Boubacar Konta, ICAS, Senegal
• Jorge Vidigal Fole, IAM, IP, Mozambique
• Faridata Atchabi, ECOWAS, Nigeria
• Christian Millogo, CBF, Burkina Faso 

10:30- 11:00

Cashew Break – Networking -Exposition

11:00 - 12:30

Plenary Session 2: Digitalization for Sustainable Cashew Supply  

Venue:   Ocean View Dome

Moderator: Wim Simonse, Away4Africa, The Netherlands

Panelists:

• Mohamed O. Baranon, FENAPAB, Benin
• Samuel Maina, Equatorial Nuts, Kenya
• Rob van Santen, Lanta Ingredients, The Netherlands 
• Dr Mariam Gniré Ouattara, CCAK, Côte d'Ivoire
• Isaac Piyuori, ACA, Ghana
• Daouda Diomande, OFI, Côte d'Ivoire
• NITIDEA

12:30 - 13:30

Lunch Break - Networking – Exposition

13:30 – 15:00

Plenary Session 3: Investments and partnership opportunities for Sustainable Cashew Supply

Venue:   Ocean View Dome  

Moderator: Elhadji Malick SOUMARE, WEECAP, Côte d'Ivoire

Panelists:

• Dr. Kofi Owusu Domfeh, CRIG, Ghana
• Lucia Antonio, IAM-IP, Mozambique 
• Nigeria Exports Promotion (NEPC)
• Samuel Yeboah, GIRSAL, Ghana  
• Stephen Debre – GPSCP II/NIRAS, Ghana
• Yao Daouda, Tony Blair Institute, Côte d'Ivoire
• Ghana Investment Promotion Center
• Srivatsava Ganapathy, Eventell Global, India

15:00 – 15:30

Cashew Break – Networking -Exposition

15:30 – 17:00

Plenary 4: Leveraging mutually beneficial public-private partnerships: Insights and experience from MGF Projects.

Venue: Ocean View Dome

Moderator:  Bastian Domke, GIZ MOVE, Côte d'Ivoire

Scene Setter: Beate Weiskopf, GIZ MOVE, Ghana

  Panelists:

• Doreen Caesaria Abaane, OFI, Ghana
• John Joseph Nkundwanabake, Akros Limited, Tanzania
• Serge Kponou, Tolaro Global, Benin
• Anifa Temba, Kikundi cha Korosho, Tanzania
• Noellen Barber, Nianda Agricultural and Trading Company, Sierra Leone
• Isidore Woba, ANATRANS, Burkina Faso

17:00 – 18:00

Side Event: Best practices from MGF

18:00 – 20:00

CasheWomen Meeting

Moderator: Nunana Addo, GIZ MOVE

Venue: Ocean View Dome

Day-3: Thursday, September 17, 2026

9:00 - 12:00

Forum 1: Cashew and climate change: risks and opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Venue: Ocean View Dome

Moderator:  Issaka Mohamed Salifou, GIZ MOVE, Ghana

Presenters:

• Anton Eitzinger, CIAT, Columbia
• Tobias Fremout, CIAT, Columbia
• Dr Foster Mensah, CERSGIS, University of Ghana.

Responses:

• Chief Adam Tampuri, Experienced Cashew Farmer, Ghana
• Dr. Esther Gyedu Akoto, Researcher, Ghana
• DeClerq Mensah, Extension Expert, Ghana
• Antonio Manual Caramelo Raposa, Cashew Processor, Ghana 

Forum 2: Global Markets Live with Jim Fitzpatrick

Venue:

11:00 - 11:30

Cashew Break - Networking - Exposition

11:30 - 13:30

 Forum 3: Enhancing Cashew Agronomy for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Growth.

Venue: Ocean View Dome

Moderator: Dr.  Paul Adu-Gyamfi, CRIG, Ghana

Panelists:

• Dr. Mariam Gniré Ouattara, CCAK, Côte d'Ivoire
• Dr Benedicte Akakpo - Badou, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin
• Dr. Diatta Marone, ISRA, Senegal 
• Dr.  Mwadalu Riziki, KEFRI, Kenya
• Dr Akua Konadu Antwi-Agyarwa, CRIG, Ghana

Forum 4: From Bankable on Paper to Building in Practice (Access to Finance)

Venue:

Moderator: Harm Voortman, P3rsist, France

Panelists:

• Moses Sonko, Smiling Coast Cashew, Gambia
• James Mulhall, Coastal Nuts, Tanzania
• Charles Muigai, Agribusiness Value Chain Consultant, Kenya
• AgriFI
• Germain Dodor, Africa Guarantee Fund
• Isidore WOBA, ANATRANS, Burkina Faso

Parallel:

ACA Annual

Cashew Exposition

13:30 - 14:30

Lunch Break - Networking - Expo

14:30 - 16:30

Forum 5: Strengthening GAP, Harvest, and Post-Harvest Systems for a Competitive African Cashew Industry.

Venue: Dome

 Moderator: Jerry Anim, MoFA, Ghana

Scene setter address: Hon Seth Osei-Akoto Jerry Anim, MoFA, Ghana

Panelists:

• Dr Kouami N'Djolosse, INRAB, Benin
• Abdallah Rajabu Makale, TARI, Tanzania
• Mateus J. Comé, IAM IP, Mozambique
• Priscilla Araba Amissah, CRIG, Ghana
• Dr Oluwatosin Adeigbe, CRIN, Nigeria
• Daniel Tachie, Experienced Cashew Farmer. Ghana  

  Forum 6: Advancing Cashew Processing Technologies and

Food Safety Standards for Sustainable Growth.

Venue:

Moderator: Shakti Pal, Cashew Processing Consultant, India

Panel 1: Cashew Processing Technologies, Innovations, Opportunities and Challenges

• CMV
• TAIHO
• GOYUM India
• Christian Ouedraogo
• Antonio Manual Caramelo Raposo, USIBRAS Ghana, Ghana
• Madam SO/Masso TRAORE, Burkina Cajou, Burkina Faso

Panel 2: Market Compliance Requirements, Food Safety and Traceability for Sustainable Growth

(Value Addition, Cashew Apple, by products)

• Sanata Berthe, ICAF, Cote d'Ivoire 
• Miguel Marcel, Benin
• Nii Smith, Agroking Processing, Ghana
• Cynthia Niamoutié, CILAGRI, Cote d’Ivoire
• SG Agro, Cote d'Ivoire 
• Charles Kumah, N.H. Food Processing, Ghana

16:00 - 16:30

Cashew Break – Networking – Exposition

16:30 - 18:30

Forum 7: Mitigating Pest and Disease in Cashew Cultivation for Sustainable Production.

Venue: Dome

Moderator:  Dr. Godfred Awudzi, CRIG, Ghana

Panelists:

• Issaka Mohamed Salifou, GIZ MOVE, Ghana
• Dr. Bukari Yahaya, CRIG, Ghana
• Dr. Dele O. Adeniyi, CRIN, Nigeria
• Dr. Prisca Ehoundou, Université Alassane Ouattara Bouaké (UAO), Cote d’Ivoire
• Dr. Solomon Agyare, CRIG, Ghana

BDS Training (by invitation)

19:00 - 21: 00

Official Closing Ceremony & Gala Dinner

Venue:

• Conference Synthesis
• Awards
• Board Chairman

Announcement of Next Conference Host

• Announcement by ACA President
• Acceptance Speech by the Representative of the Next Conference Host

Day - 4: Friday, September 18, 2026

07:00 – 17:00

• Factory Visit to USIBRAS Ghana, Prampram
• Leisure Trip: Safari Valley, Kwame Nkrumah Moselum, Osu Castle (Accra City Tour)