Ivory Coast, the world leader in the production of raw cashew nuts, has set itself an ambitious and strategic objective: to achieve a local processing rate of 50% by 2030 .

This commitment is at the heart of the new Cashew Transformation Development Programme (PDTA 2) , developed during a recent national co-creation workshop.

📈 Significant progress, but goal not achieved

Despite significant progress over the past decade, the country currently processes only 36.5% of its production. This level is considered insufficient to truly establish national industrial competitiveness and reduce dependence on the export of raw nuts.

Period	Transformation Rate	Volume Transformed
2014	6.67%	N / A
2024	36.5%	344,028 tonnes (vs. 40,383 tonnes in 2016)

The Director General of Industry, Emmanuel Tra Bi, noted that while the current rate is "significant," it remains "below the target set by the government," which is to reach a minimum of 50%.

🛑 Diagnosis: The Main Obstacles to Industrialization

The co-creation workshop highlighted the structural weaknesses that are slowing down the massive transformation of the 40% of the world's raw cashew supply that Côte d'Ivoire represents:

1. Fragmented Governance: A lack of effective coordination in the management of the sector.
2. Inadequate Financing: The inadequacy of financing mechanisms dedicated to the processing industry.
3. Limited Technologies: Available technologies that do not cover the entire transformation chain.
4. Low Local Integration: Ivorian SMEs are still not very involved in the industrialized value chain.

Emmanuel Tra Bi stressed the need to "better support processors, particularly local actors, who must play an essential role in wealth creation."

💡 The PDTA 2: The Pillars of a New Strategy

Faced with the dominance of processing by Vietnam and India (which absorb the majority of Ivorian exports), Ivory Coast is determined to "compete with the main global players" , according to Dr. Malan Michel, technical advisor at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

To reach 50% by 2030, the PDTA 2 will be structured around five key reforms :

1. Governance : For better coordination of the sector.
2. Funding : For mechanisms adapted to the industrial sector.
3. Technology : For upgrading and integrating modern solutions.
4. Human Capital : For training and skills development.
5. Sustainability : To ensure environmentally friendly development.

The stakes are high: to transform production potential into an integrated, efficient and sustainable system in order to capture more added value, create jobs and strengthen the country's economic sovereignty .