442
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA) ,Dr Andy Osei Okrah has called for stronger policy alignment, collaboration and investment among African cashew-producing countries to transform the continent’s cashew industry and make it more competitive on the global market.
The TCDA boss made the call when he participated in the 2026 African Cashew Alliance (ACA) Annual Cashew Conference & Expo held in Accra, Ghana.
The conference brought together major stakeholders within Africa’s cashew value chain, including policymakers, regulators, producers, processors, traders, investors and other industry players to deliberate on strategies to build a competitive, sustainable and resilient cashew sector across the continent.
The gathering provided a platform for stakeholders to examine the challenges confronting the industry and explore opportunities for increasing production, strengthening processing capacity, improving market access and enhancing the value derived from cashew production.
POLICY ALIGNMENT
Speaking as a panelist at a session on “Realigning Policies for Competitive and Sustainable Cashew Supply,” Dr Andy Osei Okrah highlighted Ghana’s efforts to establish a stronger regulatory framework for the development of the cashew sector.
He drew attention to the Tree Crops Development Authority Act and Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2471, explaining their relevance to the regulation and development of Ghana’s tree crops industry.
According to him, a sound regulatory framework is critical to creating an organised industry capable of attracting investment, supporting producers and encouraging value addition.
He noted that effective regulation could help address structural challenges within the value chain while creating an environment that promotes sustainable production and strengthens the competitiveness of Ghanaian cashew on both regional and international markets.
VALUE ADDITION
A major issue that featured prominently in the discussions was the need for African countries to move beyond the export of raw cashew nuts and place greater emphasis on processing and value addition.
The TCDA CEO stressed that Africa has significant potential to derive greater economic benefits from its cashew resources if more investments are channelled into local processing.
He indicated that increasing domestic processing could contribute to the creation of jobs, stimulate industrial development, improve incomes across the value chain and enable producing countries to retain a larger share of the value generated by the commodity.
He therefore encouraged stronger partnerships between governments, regulators and private sector players to develop the infrastructure, financing and technical capacity required to expand cashew processing across Africa.
REGIONAL COOPERATION
The TCDA boss also advocated closer collaboration among African cashew-producing countries, arguing that the challenges facing the industry could not be addressed effectively through isolated national interventions.
He called for greater policy coordination and the sharing of experiences and best practices among producing countries.
Such cooperation, he noted, could help African countries develop complementary policies, strengthen their respective value chains and improve their collective position in the international cashew market.
He further emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment that would encourage both domestic and international investment into the sector.
AFRICA’S GLOBAL POTENTIAL
The TCDA CEO maintained that Africa possesses the resources and production base to become a major force in the global cashew industry.
However, he stressed that unlocking that potential would require deliberate policy interventions, sustained investment, improved production systems and greater emphasis on processing and value addition.
He said collaboration among stakeholders remained essential to building a resilient industry capable of withstanding market and production challenges while delivering sustainable benefits to farmers and other actors within the value chain.
The 2026 ACA Annual Cashew Conference & Expo consequently served as an important platform for African stakeholders to exchange ideas and examine practical measures for repositioning the continent’s cashew industry.
The discussions also reinforced the need for African countries to leverage their collective strengths, improve policy coherence and strengthen value chains if the continent is to capture greater economic value from its cashew resources.
For Ghana, the participation of the TCDA leadership at the conference further provided an opportunity to showcase the country’s regulatory approach and engage other industry stakeholders on measures to make the cashew sector more productive, sustainable and competitive.
