Conference Facilitates Industry Cooperation through Signing of two MOUs

The 7th ACA Annual Conference provided a prime opportunity for cooperation among cashew associations as part of ACA’s Partnership and Advocacy service offer. The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) and ACA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate promotion of the cashew industry in Nigeria. The agreement outlines a framework that will guide institutional development, exchange of information, and implementation of programs for cashew business development.

ACA and l’Autorité de Regulation du Coton et de l’Anacarde (ARECA) signed a similar MOU focused on promoting the development of the Ivorian cashew industry. This partnership will build sustainable cashew farming and processing in Côte d’Ivoire, by facilitating a platform for cooperation between private and public stakeholders in the cashew business there.

These agreements are an essential part of ACA’s advocacy and partnership work, which encourages national institutions to expand cashew development by providing useful stakeholder platforms. ACA is working to partner with every National Cashew Association in all cashew producing countries in Africa. Thus far in 2012, ACA has signed four MOUs with National Associations and Public Entities: four individual agreements with the Kenyan Nut Processors Association (NutPAK), Côte d’Ivoire’s Autorité de Régulation du Cotonet de l’Anacarde (ARECA),  The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), as well as a Regional Cooperation Platform in East Africa. The regional cooperation initiates cooperation among four organizations, including ACA, NutPAK, Tanzanian Cashew Processors Association, and Associação dos Industriais do Cajú (AICAJU). ACA will open an office in Kenya to run the East-Africa and Southern Africa cashew platform.