More than 250 stakeholders representing every aspect of the industry and spanning the globe have registered for the 6^th annual conference of the African Cashew Alliance, Sept. 19-22 in Banjul, The Gambia. The event will feature the launch of the ACA Quality and Safety Seal program, the world’s first World Cashew Expo, networking opportunities and a business-to-business forum to match companies. www.africancashewalliance.com/conference

The ACA has successfully catalyzed the development of the African cashew industry, concludes a report by the Public Ledger, one of the world’s leading commodities publications. Under the headline “Investors lured to crack open cashew potential,” the article profiled recent developments in the African cashew sector, discussed the potential for additional processing capacity and greater export volumes, and highlighted ACA’s role in the industry’s growth. Cashew processors in Vietnam will likely seek to source more raw cashew nuts in Africa after the country’s Ministry of Finance reduced the import tariff on unprocessed cashew from 5% to 3% effective Aug. 25. VINACAS, the Vietnam Cashew Association, lobbied for the change due to falling production volumes domestically that are insufficient to meet Vietnam’s processing capacity. Africa is the most likely source of imports to replace the domestic production, the African Cashew Alliance reported. The ACA is assisting African processors to position themselves given this new market information. 

Customs officials and exporting company managers in Benin and The Gambia learned more about the technical aspects of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Four customs officials and 19 fashion designers in The Gambia participated in a workshop led by USAID Trade Hub AGOA Services Manager Abou Fall. The Gambia’s Ministry of Commerce also will host an AGOA Resource Center. More than 170 stakeholders in Benin – including 35 women – learned about the African Growth and Opportunity Act, export strategies, rules and regulations, international packaging and labeling standards and the free movement of goods in West Africa during workshops co-sponsored by the Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Participants represented companies in the shea, cashew, textile and handcrafts sectors, the Benin AGOA National Committee and trade support structures. www.agoatoolkit.com

Two export-ready home décor companies from Mali and Senegal participated under the AfricaNow! brand in the summer edition of Maison et Objet, one of Europe’s premiere home décor shows held in Paris, France. Galerie Arte Dakar and Farafina Tigne exhibited their handmade furniture and home décor products at the show, which attracts buyers from around the world. The show connects African producers to buyers at high-end boutiques, a market segment that can be leveraged to increase the companies’ production capacity because purchase volumes are low but significant. www.africa-now.org 

The African Development Bank will integrate transport and trade facilitation initiatives in future projects based on USAID Trade Hub studies and technical assistance, the bank said after a meeting with the Trade Hub in Accra, Ghana. The bank outlined its infrastructure development plans in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Togo, noting that concrete development requires strategic initiatives to facilitate trade, too. www.borderlesswa.com

In the event of an accident, drivers in Togo must obtain an attestation from the National ECOWAS Brown Card office before they can recover their vehicle’s title and other documents that Togolese authorities will have seized after the accident, the Trade Hub learned in the course of preparing the Truck Drivers’ Guide to Togo. The document is modeled on the popular Truck Drivers’ Guide to Ghana published by the Trade Hub and Togo’s National Transport and Transit Facilitation Committee in 2010. www.borderlesswa.com