Tanzania and Mozambique sign Bilateral Cashew Collaboration Agreement
Two of East Africa’s leading- cashew producing countries, Tanzania and Mozambique, have signed a bilateral agreement to strengthen collaboration in the development of their respective cashew sectors.
This agreement was signed on Tuesday, 15th September 2026, at the 2026 African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Annual Cashew Conference and Expo in Accra, Ghana. It was signed by the Director General of the Cashew nuts Board of Tanzania (CBT), Mr Francis Alfred, and the Director General of the Instituto de Amêndoas de Moçambique IP (IAM), Mr Jorge Vidigal Fole.
The agreement marks a significant breakthrough following years of regional engagement and discussions among stakeholders towards strengthening collaboration within the region’s cashew industry.
Under the agreement, Tanzania and Mozambique will collaborate in areas including cashew research and development, cashew marketing and trade, sharing of improved cashew varieties, technology transfer, processing, capacity building, pest and disease management, cashew quality control and standards and other areas of mutual interest aimed at strengthening the development and competitiveness of their respective cashew sectors.
Speaking after the signing, CBT Director General, Mr Francis Alfred, thanked his Mozambican counterpart and expressed his satisfaction at the conclusion of the agreement following years of discussion.
He said the agreement will provide a framework for both countries to work more closely together towards building a more resilient and sustainable cashew industry in the region.
For his part, IAM Director General, Mr Jorge Vidigal Fole, highlighted the significance of the agreement to sector development of the cashew sectors in both countries. He expressed his commitment to strengthening collaboration between Tanzania and Mozambique and advancing areas of mutual interest.
Witnessing the signing, ACA Board President, Mr Ibrahim Sanfo, congratulated Tanzania and Mozambique on the milestone agreement, describing it as an important step towards stronger regional cooperation in the cashew industry.
According to him, the future of the cashew industry will increasingly depend on what producing countries can achieve through collaboration. He encouraged cashew producing countries to continue working together to address common challenges and build a more sustainable and competitive cashew industry.
Cashew is an important agricultural commodity in East Africa, with Tanzania and Mozambique among the region’s major producing countries. The sector provides livelihoods for millions of smallholder farmers and contributes to rural employment, trade and foreign exchange earnings.
Tanzania is currently the leading cashew producer in East Africa and has set an ambitious target of reaching approximately 1 million tons of raw cashew nut production by 2030. The country is also pursuing measures to improve productivity, strengthen the cashew value chain and expand domestic processing.
Mozambique has a long-standing cashew industry and is similarly seeking to increase production and productivity while strengthening its domestic processing capacity. The country is working to revive and expand local cashew processing as part of efforts to increase value addition and generate greater economic benefits from its cashew sector.
With both countries pursuing ambitious growth and value-addition agendas, stronger cooperation in areas such as research, technology, improved planting materials, processing and knowledge exchange could contribute to the development of a more resilient and competitive East African cashew industry.
