In line with achieving the objectives of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), the United Nations Industrial Organisation (UNIDO) has subcontracted CERATH Development Organisation (CDO) to provide a wide range of technical assistance (TA) to selected mango and pineapple value chain actors. The project will strengthen the export competitiveness of selected mango and pineapple value chain actors through a cocktail of technical assistance aimed at enhancing sustainable and climate-smart production, processing, and increased compliance to international standards.
The project duration is 12 months (November 2022 – October 2023) and the target beneficiaries are AGROPAL West Africa Limited (a fruits processing company), mango and pineapple farmers/cooperatives, aggregators, and transporters in selected districts in the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Central regions of Ghana.
To commence project implementation, the project team had an inception meeting at UNIDO office to inaugurate the WACOMP Sub-contracting Matching Scheme VI and kick-off project activities. The agenda for the inception meeting was to discuss the project’s goals, objectives, and approach in order to ensure mutual understanding of CERATH Development Organization’s (CDO) plan of action and discuss any recommendations for revision.
In attendance at the meeting were representatives from the UNIDO team- Charles Kwame Sackey (the Chief Technical Advisor), and Kwame O. Adjekum (the National Procurement Officer). The CDO team comprised Paa Kofi Osei-Owusu (Director, West Africa), Lucille Abruquah (the Country Director, Ghana and Project Manager), as well as seven (7) other members of the project team.
The meeting commenced with an introduction of participants from CDO and UNIDO. Mr. Charles Kwame Sackey provided a brief overview of WACOMP and its 5C approach. The project team led by Paa Kofi Osei-Owusu also introduced the project and highlighted its key components, plan of action, and timelines. Both parties were in consonant with the timeline and deliverables, and expressed excitement to kick-start implementation.
