About 71 participants from 12 African countries working in various subsectors of the cashew value chain and other sectors have completed the second session of the 17th Edition of the Master Training Programme (MTP) in Sunyani in the Bono regional capital.

The participants were selected from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.

The training for the cashew value chain promotion in Africa focuses on enhancing participants’ understanding of the main steps for improved planting material development and the importance of good agricultural practices.

As part of the MTP, participants visited the Wenchi Agricultural Research Station for a practical experience of cashew grafting, pest and disease control, top working and climate-smart planting material development.

The Cashew Master Training Programme is being organised by the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) in partnership with the Market Oriented Value Chains for Jobs and Growth in the ECOWAS region (MOVE), Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).

It is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development under the Samoa Agreement with the Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).

The Sector Organisation Manager of the African Cashew Alliance, Reine Dehode, said session 2 of the 17^th Edition of the training programme focuses on the scientific and research aspects of cashew production, attitude formation and gender.

“The program provides a platform for participants to share knowledge, discuss best practices, learn from a team of experienced resource persons, and build national and regional networks for future collaboration,” she added.

She explained that the participants will return to their host institutions with the necessary skills and have a multiplier effect on the cashew industry by sharing knowledge and experiences from the tailor-made training.

She said, "The participants have learned about all aspects of the cashew value chain, ranging from production and processing of raw cashew nuts to economics, cashew market dynamics, marketing, and financing mechanisms”.

The Head of the Wenchi Agricultural Research Station, Sylvester De-Clercq Mensah, was the lead facilitator of the training programme.

He stated that the Master Training Programme is a unique training that seeks to build the capacity of both existing players of the cashew industry and newcomers to create a pool of experts towards achieving a competitive African cashew industry to secure profitability for all actors.

He noted that the 71 participants will return to their host institutions to conduct fieldwork individually or in groups to deepen their knowledge on selected topics.

The participants at the cashew MTP exhibited the zeal to make Africa the hub of the best cashew farms and products.

The final session of the 17^th Edition of the Cashew Master Training Programme will come off in June 2024.