MOVE - Market Oriented Value Chains for Jobs and Growth in the ECOWAS region improves income and employment prospects in the ECOWAS region along market-oriented and resilient value chains (rice and cashew).
Our MOVE umbrella
With global and regional demand constantly rising, cashew and rice production and processing offer important potential for training, employment, and wealth creation. This can be achieved through private sector development, can help to mitigate climate change, and bring economic empowerment to women and youth. Under the umbrella of MOVE your can find CARI - Competitive African Rice Initiative, EU Reach - Resilience against Climate change and ComCashew - Competitive Cashew Initiative.
CARI
Competitive African Rice Initiative
The Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) was launched in 2013. We, at CARI, support small-scale climate-friendly rice production, and advocate for cooperation on equal terms, between our target groups and the private sector.
REACH
Resilience Against Climate Change
The REACH Project on adaptation and mitigation to climate change for the local population in North West Ghana has been developed to contribute to the development of rural communities and stable land management in the face of climate change, by promoting climate resilient practices.
ComCashew
Competitive Cashew Initiative
ComCashew constitutes a new era of multi-stakeholder partnership aiming to achieve a sustainable poverty reduction in the project countries Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, by enhancing the competitiveness of African cashew smallholders, processors and other actors in the value chain.
Our approach
Increasing the value creation of processing in the ECOWAS region through strengthened private sector engagement.
Improve the economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural systems using good agricultural practices (GAP) and Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) for climate-resilient, resource-conserving agriculture and carbon sequestration.
Increasing local consumption of rice and cashew products through marketing initiatives and by-products.
Disseminating good practices in promoting inclusive business models by integrating gender transformative approaches (GTA) and information technology (IT) capabilities.
Strengthening public-private cooperation in policymaking to reduce regional trade barriers and to support social transformation, like ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO), the Consultative International Cashew Council (CICC), African Cashew Alliance (ACA).
News
ComCashew
Empowering Agricultural Policy in Africa
From Tuesday, July 22, to Friday, July 25, 2025, an AgriPolicy Toolkit training session was held in Sogakope, located in the Volta Region of Ghana. This training was designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary for effective policy formulation and implementation, with a focus on strengthening policy decisions and their impact on the rice and cashew sectors. The AgriPolicy Toolkit includes over 150 practical policy instruments for evidence-based policymaking.
Empowering Cashew growing Communities in Togo and Benin through Value Addition and Certification via the Matching Grant Fund
Imagine a world where the food we eat not only nourishes us but also builds stronger communities and a healthier planet. In Togo and Benin, this vision is taking root within the cashew industry, transforming lives and landscapes
From July 2nd to July 11th, 2025, a field mission took place across Togo and Benin. The mission was under the GIZ Matching Grant Fund (MGF) program and its main goal was to see how efforts to make cashew industry more sustainable are making a real difference. We focussed on key areas like organic and Rainforest Alliance (RA) certification, boasting women’s empowerment through new product ideas and strengthening farmer groups.
Strengthening Agricultural Education: Highlights from the First e-MOVE Campus Tour in Ghana
Supporting a Growing Cashew Sector with Online Learning
The cashew sector continues to expand and evolve globally. In Ghana, the sector is gaining momentum as a priority area for rural employment, agribusiness development, and export diversification. As the country seeks to move beyond raw nut exports to local processing and commercial growth, the need for capacity building for actors in the cashew value chain has become paramount.
International cashew research conference 2025
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS/PAPERS
Date
From Tuesday, September 23 to Thursday, September 25, 2025
Location
Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)
Background and justification
From 2000 to 2018, the cashew raw nuts global trade more than doubled, and Africa has become the world's leading producer (>60%). Worldwide, the cashew nut market is experiencing annual growth of 7 to 10%, driven by increasing consumer demand and the recognized nutritional benefits of the nut. Despite its social and economic importance, in most of the main nut-producing countries,
A Roadmap for a Resilient Cashew Sector: GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew at the 7th CICC Session in Guinea
On April 24 – April 26, 2025, the 7th Ordinary Session of the Consultative International Cashew Council (CICC) convened in Conakry, Guinea took place, marking a significant milestone for the African cashew industry. Under the leadership of Ghana’s Minister of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, ministers of agriculture and trade and their representatives from twelve cashew-producing nations participated in high-level discussions aimed at advancing the sector.
ofi partnering with GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew launched Cashew Apple Processing Project to Empower 1000 Women and Youth in Techiman.
Olam Food Ingredients Ghana Limited (ofi), one of the leading ingredients companies in the country and exporter of cocoa and cashew, has partnered with the GIZ project Market Oriented Value Chain for Jobs and Growth in the ECOWAS Region (GIZ/MOVE-ComCashew) to officially launch the 'Cashew Apple as a Recipe for Women and Youth Empowerment' Matching Grant Fund project in Techiman."
Upcoming Events
Downloads
Success Stories
- CashewNuss.pdf (1.1 MiB)
- Cashew Technical Training.pdf (4.2 MiB)
- e-MOVE.pdf (1.3 MiB)
- Farmer Business School.pdf (1.4 MiB)
- Master Training Programme.pdf (2.0 MiB)
- Matching Grand Fund South_Grown & Fenapab.pdf (3.4 MiB)
- Matching Grant Fund.pdf (1.1 MiB)
- Matching Grant Fund ETG & URCPA.pdf (3.3 MiB)
- Matching Grant Fund Tolaro.pdf (1.1 MiB)
- Matching Grant Fund URCPA-BA.pdf (1.5 MiB)
- Nigeria Cashew Extensionist Webinar_Series.pdf (1.4 MiB)
Together with our donors and political partners we achieve a sustainable cashew & rice production
