A Message from the Interim Managing Director

The African Cashew Alliance has served as an important guiding support for the growth of the African cashew industry these past ten years and I am excited to join the team at the Secretariat as the Interim Managing Director during this important moment of change for the Alliance. Coming from ComCashew, I am no stranger to the African cashew industry and the work ACA has been doing these past ten years. My work with ComCashew since 2010 has allowed me to develop an expansive understanding of the cashew industry as well as a broad network of industry contacts, both which I bring with me to ACA.

To make it to a decade is an important moment for an organization. It is a moment to celebrate, but also a moment to reevaluate. Now is the time to look back at the past ten years and recognize the successes and failures. The only way for ACA to grow as an organization is to learn from the past. The industry has evolved in the past decade and ACA must evolve with it if it is to stay relevant. 

Although these past few years have been filled with change for ACA, I am here to assure you that with this next transition there will be a stronger and more stable organization that will be able to better serve as a backbone for the industry. Ultimately, our members and stakeholders will benefit from this moment of change. Together with ACA’s Executive Committee and the Secretariat, I will be working on an finalizing a strategy for the organization for 2018 to 2022. A new vision, mission, and set of objectives will be created that will better fit the current situation of the industry today. This will be followed by the recruitment of a substantive Managing Director to steer implementation of the planned change agenda for the period of 2018 to 2022.

And so, here’s to a bright future for ACA! Throughout these next few months, I look forward to working to create an even 

stronger Alliance that will be able to better serve you.