The USAID West Africa Trade and Investment Hub and its co-investment partner EcoCajou, a company that specializes in the purchase, export, and processing of raw cashews, have jointly inaugurated a new cashew nut processing factory in Bassékodougo, Odienné, Côte d’Ivoire. The inauguration, which marked a significant milestone for regional development, was attended by U.S. Ambassador Jessica Davis Ba and five Ivorian ministers. The plant employs 842 workers (of which 75% are women) and has an annual processing capacity of 15,000 tons.
The plant will boost EcoCajou’s capacity and enhance its global competitiveness. Since the Trade Hub was launched in 2019, it has awarded $4.5 million to four private-sector companies and one financial institution in Côte d’Ivoire, facilitating $52.4 million in private investment and creating over 2,000 jobs.
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Cécile has been working her whole life. She never finished high school, dropping out to help her mother. When her mother died, she worked to take care of her siblings and then her own child. But she says she never wants to stand still. She got a job with EcoCajou and now she helps supervise other women in their factory. Cashew nuts are one of Côte d’Ivoire’s largest exports, but less than 5% of them are processed.
Instead, the raw cashew kernels are often sent to Asia for processing. But EcoCajou leveraged a $800,00 co-investment from USAID’s West Africa Trade & Investment Hub to build a 15,000 metric ton-per-year processing plant that allows them to revitalize the cashew industry in the country while improving employment for women and economic outcomes for cashew farmers. EcoCajou’s new facility has created 480 new jobs and will directly benefit 5,390 cashew producers who rely on the nut as their primary cash crop.
As it prepares to increase exports to international markets, EcoCajou is also able to support 4,085 producers in complying with organic certification requirements and developing cashews on their plantations, contributing to a sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape in West Africa.
Source:Creative Associates International
