Côte d’Ivoire's Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts, Ibrahim Kalil Konaté, received his counterpart from Guinea-Bissau, Jaimentino Có, Minister of Trade and Industry, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at his office in Abidjan-Plateau. The visit aimed to learn from Côte d’Ivoire’s successful model in cashew production and, in particular, local processing, a sector in which the country has established itself as the world's leading producer.

During the meeting, Minister Konaté outlined the key policies and strategic decisions that have enabled Côte d’Ivoire to build a competitive and high-performing cashew industry. He emphasized that these achievements are the result of the vision and leadership of President Alassane Ouattara, whose government has prioritized value addition and industrial transformation within the agricultural sector.

The Ivorian minister reaffirmed the government's willingness to share its expertise and technical know-how with Guinea-Bissau to support the development of its cashew value chain and strengthen local processing capacity.

For his part, Minister Jaimentino Có praised Côte d’Ivoire’s experience and expressed his country's determination to draw on the Ivorian model to accelerate the domestic processing of its own cashew production, thereby increasing value creation and employment opportunities.

At the conclusion of the discussions, both sides agreed to establish a technical committee tasked with defining the framework for bilateral cooperation. This initiative will pave the way for the creation of a joint commission between Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, marking a new phase in the strengthening of economic ties between the two countries.

The meeting reflects the shared commitment of Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau to deepen economic cooperation and promote the sustainable development of the cashew sector in West Africa.