AgroValue Link – Strengthening Cashew Value Chains

1. Overview

Africand collaborated with SCOPENAS to strengthen the cashew nut ecosystem by addressing gaps in cooperative management and market integration. The project aligned with regional goals for agro-industrial competitiveness within the ECOWAS framework.

Through a participatory approach, the initiative fostered collaboration among farmers, processors, and local institutions to enhance transparency and accountability along the cashew value chain.

2. Challenge

The cashew sector in northern Côte d’Ivoire faces significant challenges: limited access to financing, fragmented governance structures, and weak market information systems. These constraints hinder producers’ ability to negotiate better prices and scale operations sustainably.

SCOPENAS sought Africand’s expertise to overcome these barriers and to design a digital system capable of connecting local cooperatives directly with regional buyers while ensuring traceability and fair trade compliance.

3. Solution

Africand implemented a three-step approach: governance restructuring, capacity-building workshops, and digital marketplace deployment. The governance framework established clear roles and transparent reporting mechanisms for cooperative management.

Simultaneously, the digital platform “AgroValue Link” was designed to register farmers, map production zones, and facilitate secure transactions between producers, processors, and exporters.

4. Results

Within six months, over 280 farmers were integrated into the digital system, enabling real-time access to market information and quality control data. SCOPENAS recorded a 25% increase in average selling prices and reduced logistical inefficiencies by 18%.

Beyond the numbers, the project strengthened trust between producers and buyers, laying the foundation for future regional expansion and financial inclusion initiatives.

5. Conclusion

The AgroValue Link project transformed SCOPENAS from a traditional cooperative into a digitally connected agribusiness network. Its success demonstrates how technology and governance reform can drive rural development in West Africa.

This initiative also reinforced Africand’s commitment to empowering local ecosystems through actionable data, cross-border collaboration, and impact-oriented partnerships.