West Africa Connect” in Accra promote Mango, Cassava and ICT value chains

After a successful edition in 2021, “West Africa Connect” was back with a second regional B2B networking event that took place on September 20 and 21, 2022 in Accra, Ghana (hybrid format).

West Africa Connect, which is organized in the context of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), funded by the European Union, aims to facilitate linkages between priority value chain actors in West Africa, therefore ensuring the sustainability of these regional value chains.

This year, the event was attended by more than 100 mango, cassava and ICT SMEs from the region, over 20 regional and international buyers, 25 high-level speakers and many other institutions. With the technical support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Trade Center (ITC), approximately 150 B2B meetings have been successfully conducted during the two-day event, both on-site and virtually through a sophisticated digital matchmaking platform.

It is now expected that these interactions will lead to the establishment of new and durable business partnerships, increased commercial transactions between mango, cassava and ICT actors, and the identification of potential investors to ensure the inclusive and sustainable development of these priority value chains.

Mr. Fakhruddin Azizi , the UNIDO representative in Ghana and Liberia called on the government of Ghana to pay close attention to the mango and cassava sectors, highlighting that they present a strong potential to attract investments that will drive inclusive and sustainable growth to create jobs in Ghana and across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.

Mr. Kolawole Sofola, Acting Director of Trade at the ECOWAS Commission, indicated that by connecting suppliers from the region with buyers both inside and outside the region, this event promotes access to market opportunities and linkages with global value chains. These local firms have untapped potential ant this event allows them to demonstrate the quality of their products and services which will lead to profitable business partnerships.

Mr Rafik Feki, the Industrial Development Officer, Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation, UNIDO, gave the assurance that his outfit would ensure the products were of high standard not only for the African market but the global market.

WACOMP – Ghana team joined other key stakeholders to showcase success stories of the implementation of WACOMP.