Consistent with Government strategies to promote export diversification and value-added agricultural products, this project is strengthening the commercialization capacities of the dried mango and processed cashew nut sectors in Burkina Faso in order to generate increased export revenues and household incomes. The project is working specifically with several umbrella organizations in both the cashew and mango industries in order to have a wide impact.

 Results:

 Mango processing units produced an average of 70 tons of dried mangoes in 2015, which is up from 32 tons per UT in 2014.

• Dried mango exports totalled 1,208,000 kg, which is up from 460,330 kg in 2013.
• 23 leaders (15 men, 8 women) of umbrella organizations in the mango and cashew industries received leadership training in July 2015 and are also receiving ongoing coaching. 
• 66 people (48 men, 18 women) received entrepreneurship training in November 2015, which included a focus on how to prepare business plans.
• 55 people (44 men, 11 women) were trained on commercial contract negotiation and risk management in February 2015.
• Two training sessions about international production and quality standards were held in December 2015 in partnership with the World African Trade Hub. In the first session, 36 people (23 men, 13 women) were trained in mango processing good practices. In the second session, 44 people (30 men, 14 women) were trained on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), which is a preventative system to address food safety through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards.
• In May 2015, five representatives of the cashew umbrella group ANTA (Association Nationale des Transformateurs d’anacarde du Burkina Faso) went on a study visit to Guinea-Bissau to explore the possibility of obtaining raw cashews.
• In July 2015, representatives of the mango umbrella group APROMAB (Professionnels de la Transformation de la Mangue du Burkina) went on a study trip to Abidjan, Ivory Coast to learn from the experience of banana and pineapple exporters.
• 7 mango exporters participated in the BIOFACH trade fair in Germany in February 2015.