After Angola, which will have 50 students receiving training in the cocoa industry, Guinea-Bissau has been chosen as the second African country to participate in the ‘Youth Technical Training Program’ (YTTP). This decision owes to the strategic importance of the cashew sector to its economy—responsible for over 90% of the country’s exports and a crucial source of income, employment, and economic growth, said João Bosco Monte.
Despite its significance, this agricultural sector faces substantial challenges such as low adoption of modern technologies, reliance on raw material exports with minimal added value, and the need for greater efficiency across the production chain, explained the Brazilian official.
The president of the Brazil-Africa Institute stated that the African country often uses “traditional methods, which reduce productive efficiency and keep the economy dependent on the export of raw materials in their crude state.”
The training is scheduled to take place from May 5 to May 16 in the Brazilian state of Ceará, the principal producer of cashew nuts in the country.
The 50 young Guineans will be trained in all stages of production, gaining access to “advanced technical knowledge, covering good agricultural practices, modernization of processing, and strategies to add value to the product,” he said.
In João Bosco Monte’s view, qualifying the workforce in this Guinean agricultural sector will enable the country to add value to the final product, thereby increasing its competitiveness in the global market.
“Moreover, strengthening the cashew production chain should contribute to diversifying the local economy, creating more employment opportunities, fostering entrepreneurship among young people, and driving sustainable socioeconomic development in Guinea-Bissau,” he justified.
The goal of the Brazil-Africa Institute is to train 1,000 young Africans by the end of 2026, and according to its president, countries like “Mozambique, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe are examples of nations with great potential to host future editions of the program.”
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