The Competitive Cashew initiative (ComCashew) in partnership with the African Cashew Alliance (ACA), and support from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Cocoa Research Institute Ghana (CRIG), will commence the first session of the 5th edition of the Master Training Programme for Cashew Value Chain Promotion in Africa from Monday, April 23 to Friday, April 27, 2018, at the Hephzibah Christian Retreat Centre, Peduase.
The unique Master Training Programme seeks to increase theoretical knowledge and practical skills of African cashew experts along the value chain and consequently to further promote the competitiveness of African cashew.
The programme will provide a platform for 77 cashew experts coming from nine countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Togo to share knowledge, discuss best practices and lessons learnt as well as to build national and regional networks for future collaboration.
Participants will return to their host institutions and have a multiplier effect on the cashew industry by sharing their knowledge and experiences gained from attending this tailor-made training.
During knowledge sharing sessions of theories and their application, participants learn 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.
Facilitators and technical experts teach, evaluate and re-design each training session according to participants’ needs.
The first session to be held in Peduase will cover the cashew value chain concept, the dynamics of the cashew market and the development of training materials. The highlight will be a field visit to the largest cashew processing factory in the sub-region – USIBRAS, in Prampram.
All sessions cover cross-cutting issues such as gender, policy development, sector regulations and nutrition value of cashew products.
A former Master Trainer, Judith Odei who works as Director of Operations at the MIM Agro Processing factory in Ghana states: “As the Quality Assurance Manager of MIM, I train factory staff on personal hygiene and security threats awareness.
The Master Training programme taught me steps on how to better facilitate these trainings. With regards to process documentation, I have gained more knowledge thanks to the experiences shared by various well-versed experts from different countries.
This will go a long way to improve the quality of work in the factory. In my community, I will raise awareness about the nutritional value and benefits of cashew nuts and apples.
Seven months. Three sessions. Three locations.
Rolled out in seven months, the Master Training Programme is divided into three successive sessions to be held in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. This year, there will be two separate editions: Edition 5 and 6.
In so-called “inter-sessions”, participants will return to their host institutions to conduct fieldwork, either individually or in groups, to deepen knowledge on a selected topic. After completion of the programme, the participants become certified and acknowledged cashew experts, who train farmers, provide assistance to processors, or advice institutions in their respective countries.
Credit: GhanaWeb