African Cashew Sector Must Retain Greater Value Through Domestic Processing

Africa’s cashew industry reflects a familiar pattern: the continent supplies a large share of the world’s raw nuts, yet the majority of economic value is generated after the produce leaves African shores.

This trend cannot continue if Africa is serious about industrialisation, job creation and economic transformation.

The call by Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, for African nations to increase investment in cashew processing and value addition therefore warrants serious attention.

At the opening of the 2026 African Cashew Alliance Annual Cashew Conference and Exhibition in Accra, the Minister stressed that producing more is insufficient. Africa must also capture greater value from what it produces, a principle that should underpin the continent’s agricultural policy.

The data are compelling: Africa supplies roughly 60 % of the world’s cashew nuts but receives only a modest share of the value generated from the commodity.

More than 700,000 tonnes—about 20 % of Africa’s annual output—were processed on the continent in 2025, marking progress but also highlighting the scale of the remaining challenge.

Processing can create jobs, support local enterprises, generate foreign exchange and spur investment in manufacturing, packaging, transport and related sectors.

It also opens opportunities for young people and women, who already play active roles across the cashew value chain.

However, value addition will not materialise simply because governments declare it a policy goal; it demands deliberate, sustained investment.

African governments must establish conditions that make processing commercially viable.

This includes reliable infrastructure, affordable finance, modern technology, research and development, efficient regulation and predictable policies.

Processors need support to improve capacity and compete internationally, while farmers must not be overlooked in the push for industrialisation.

A value chain that builds factories but leaves farmers struggling is neither sustainable nor fair.

Farmers must receive incomes that justify their investment and encourage them to stay in the sector.

Improved planting material, extension services, climate‑resilient practices, quality assurance and market access are therefore as crucial as establishing processing plants.

The Minister was also correct in noting that no single African country can transform the sector alone.

Pests, diseases and climate change do not respect borders; African nations must cooperate on research, standards, technology, trade and market development.

Regional collaboration can also create the scale needed to attract investment and compete effectively in the global market.

An additional critical dimension highlighted by Janine Walz, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation at the Swiss Embassy in Ghana, is the role of women throughout the cashew value chain. Women often have limited access to finance, technology and markets, and supporting them is sound economic policy, not charity. When women‑owned businesses thrive, the benefits ripple through families and communities.

The African Cashew Alliance conference should not end with speeches, declarations and photographs.

Governments, investors, processors, farmers, development partners and financial institutions must leave the meeting with concrete commitments, timelines and investments that can be tracked and measured.

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