The Ghana Private Sector Competitiveness Project II (GPSCP II) has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing the cashew and oil palm value chains by supporting the African Cashew Alliance (ACA)’s Master Training Programme (MTP).

The initiative is aimed at developing experts within the cashew sector across Ghana and the continent.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the special edition of the programme, the Team Leader of GPSCP II, Ebenezer Ato Simpson, highlighted the project’s dedication to making the cashew and oil palm sectors more competitive and productive.

"Our mandate at GPSCP II is to support the cashew and oil palm value chains to be more competitive and productive and to ensure that the environment for these cashew and oil palm value chains is conducive for enterprise to thrive," he said on Monday.

This year, GPSCP II is sponsoring 17 participants in ACA's special edition of the Master Training Programme, with the goal of creating a robust knowledge base within the cashew value chain.

These participants, who are being groomed to become experts, will contribute to various facets of the industry, including research and academia.

Mr Simpson also emphasised the project’s commitment to gender equality, noting that nine of the 17 beneficiaries are women.

“Women have been in the past left behind in some of these areas, so we want to work with them to ensure that the value chain continues to thrive," he said.

Looking ahead, Mr Simpson revealed plans to continue funding more participants, especially women over the next two years, in line with GPSCP II's objective of empowering individuals to play a pivotal role in the industry’s growth.

Highlighting the need for women inclusion in the cashew value chain, the Team Leader of the GIZ/MOVE/ComCashew project, Madam Beate Weiskopf, reaffirmed GIZ’s commitment to implementing a Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) in the MTP.

“We are convinced that the GTA Approach is crucial for initiating long-term change and advocating for gender equality in the cashew sector. Our commitment lies in challenging existing societal norms and empowering women and young people across all the countries where our projects are implemented,” she said. On his part, the Executive Director of Cashew Council Ghana (CCG), Kofi Agyarko Mintah, urged participants to take the training seriously.

He was optimistic that participants would complete the programme more enlightened to help curb the export of cashew in their raw state.

“This training is to produce a pool of cashew experts, to promote competitiveness in the cashew industry. I urge you to broaden your minds and take advantage of this training,” he said.

The Managing Director of the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) – the lead implementing organization of the MTP – Ernest Mintah emphasized that the MTP was collaboratively initiated by the ACA, the GIZ/MOVE, Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana and other partners and has been implemented over the last ten (10) years in line with the vision of ACA and its partner as well as the ultimate vision of creating a competitive African cashew industry. He commended the European Union (EU), the Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for co-founding the MTP.

He added that the programme is important to empower individuals in the cashew industry for its sustainability.

About the MTP

The Master Training Program (MTP) was introduced in 2013 as a unique training program that seeks to build the capacity of both existing players of the cashew industry and newcomers to create a pool of experts for the industry towards achieving the ACA and its partners’ vision of creating a competitive African cashew industry.

A total of 137 people from 15 countries graduated from the MTP from the Edition 17 and edition 18 of the programme in June and August respectively this year. This increases the total number of MTP graduates   1322  from 20 countries across 18 editions who are making significant difference in their respective organizations and the cashew industry. An additional 21 people will be graduating after the special session on Friday.

The MTP is currently implemented by the ACA in partnership with the GIZ/MOVE project, MoFA, CRIG, the Conseil du Coton et de l’ Anacarde (CCA), the Consultative International Cashew Council (CICC), among others with funding from the EU, OACPS, and the BMZ.