Background of the training in link with the Master Training Programme (MTP)

The ‘Master Training Programme’ was introduced under ComCashew (now MOVE) with collaboration from African Cashew Alliance (ACA) to upgrade and reinforce the capacity of local actors, and transfer knowledge to partners and target groups. Under MOVE the projects seeks to consolidate and deepen MTP to increase outreach to SMEs (medium term strategy).

MTP since its introduction have had 14 edition trainings with 911 Experts trained.

The aims of the MTP are:

• Create a pool of qualified experts on the cashew value chain in West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana, also reaching out to other West-African countries – e.g.  Nigeria, Sénégal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Guinea Bissau, Gambia and Mali) ; and
• Facilitate the regional exchange of knowledge, learning and innovation.

The long-term vision of this program is to develop in-country capacity by building a pool of technical and managerial expertise, to facilitate regional exchange between selected Master Trainers with the aim of sharing lessons learned and innovations at regional and national levels. In each of the countries concerned there will be resource persons for the transfer of knowledge in the following areas:

• Agronomy and cashew orchards management.
• Post-harvest management and quality of cashew products.
• Processing and adding value to products and by-products.
• Market Mechanism, nut, and kernel market analysis.
• Business relationships between stakeholders.
• Value chain development.
• Economics of cashew farming and processing units.
• Self-financing advice.

The Master Training Programme is structured in three one-week sessions (total of 3 weeks) with each providing learning and innovation platforms. Participation in all three sessions is obligatory for each learner/Applicant. Between two sessions, there will be a period during which the learner/Applicant  based in his institution of origin, implements specific activities to apply the