Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) suppliers in the mango, cassava and ICT sectors are being connected to buyers in and outside the ECOWAS sub-region to promote regional trade and access to market. At the launch of the second edition of the West Africa Connect 2022, held in Accra, more than 160 suppliers from the 16 West African Countries were with more than 20 buyers from West Africa and other regions.
The two-day event focused on creating linkages between mango, cassava and ICT value chain actors, while establishing new and durable business partnerships and increasing commercial transactions.
The program is there to strengthen the competitiveness of West African countries; improve the business environment and quality of the products sold and exported from the region, while complying with stringent market requirements on product safety, health and environmental impact.
Out of 302 million tons of cassava globally produced in 2020, more than half was produced in Africa. Also, on the African continent, 52 per cent of total cassava production is carried out in West Africa, Nigeria accounting for 23.4 per cent globally. In the mango sector, the ECOWAS region was the 7th mango-exporting origin worldwide with 90, 000 tons exported in 2019, with a market share of global trade rising to 5.1 per cent in 2020.
Source: newsghana.com.gh