Sen. Owan Enoh Hosts Cashew Stakeholders/ GIZ MOVE
Oru Leonard
The Honourable Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, received in audience, the Association of Cashew Processors and Packagers of Nigeria (CAPPAN), in collaboration with GIZ MOVE, at the Federal Secretariat. The purpose of the visit was to brief the Minister on the critical challenges affecting the Nigerian cashew processing industry and to solicit government intervention aimed at revitalising the sector.
The meeting commenced with an opening remark by the desk officer on Cashew from the Industrial Development Department (IDD), who represented the department’s director. Mr Daniel Gamana, President of CAPPAN, presented a compelling case for policy and infrastructural reforms in the cashew value chain. He highlighted cashew as a high-impact industry with the potential to create jobs and significantly boost national revenue. According to him, cashew processing has already contributed over 100 billion naira in capital and infrastructure, with annual business turnover surpassing 300 billion naira.
Despite its economic prospects, the industry faces daunting operational conditions. Mr Gamana noted that only a few out of Nigeria’s twenty-five standard cashew processing factories are currently functional. Key challenges identified include unstable pricing, lack of protective regulation, insufficient financial support, and a largely inactive regulatory body in the Nigerian Cashew Association (NCAN). Additional hurdles involve infrastructural decay, difficulty accessing spare parts for processing machines, and a shortage of trained workers.
He pointed out that Nigeria currently accounts for about five percent of global cashew production, contributing 300,000 metric tonnes annually. This places Nigeria as the second-largest producer in Africa and the fourth globally, trailing Côte d’Ivoire. With strategic investment and regulation, Nigeria has the potential to surpass leading producers like Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire in both raw and processed cashew exports.
A key request made during the visit was the establishment of a Cashew Management Board. CAPPAN proposed that the board be mandated to oversee and coordinate the entire cashew production value chain, from cultivation to international market integration. They urged the government to either enact a new cashew policy or review and validate the previously drafted but suspended policy document, ensuring it captures all stakeholder interests.
Responding, the Honourable Minister, Senator Enoh, acknowledged the vital economic role that processed cashew products can play in national development. He reiterated that the export of raw cashew nuts denies Nigeria added value and employment opportunities that could be realised through domestic processing. The Minister assured the delegation of the Federal Government’s commitment to reviewing the cashew policy document. He encouraged the GIZ MOVE team to work with stakeholders to harmonise inputs into the document and ensure measurable value addition before it is finally approved for validation.
The visit marked a significant step in the ongoing advocacy for a more structured and government-supported cashew industry in Nigeria.
(Honourable Minister of State for Industry Media, 26/6/2025)
