Cargill has extended the Cargill Coop Academy – an adult education programme aimed at the leaders of its cocoa farming cooperatives – to Cameroon, after its success in Côte d’Ivoire.
The training aims to help reduce poverty for vulnerable local communities and professionalise farmer organizations. A four-year commitment, providing education in partnership with Telcar to almost 900 executives from 227 farmer organisations, has been made by IFC, a member of the World Bank, and Cargill.
Cooperatives have proven to be one of the most efficient and effective means to reach cocoa farmers, reduce poverty and impact their livelihoods, Cargill said, helping famers to bring their products to the market.
More than $1.1 million has been committed until 2020 to roll the programme out in Cameroon as part of Cargill’s Cocoa Promise, with the ultimate goal of reaching more than 50,000 farmers and offering them training in financial literacy and cooperative management.
“There is an opportunity to provide the nascent cooperatives in Cameroon with the appropriate support right from the beginning. Along the performance indicators we defined, we will keep monitoring progress and report back in full transparency to ensure a measurable impact,” said Lionel Soulard, managing director of Cargill’s cocoa and chocolate business in West Africa.
IFC’s country manager for Cameroon, Mehita Sylla, added: “Empowered farmer organisations play a pivotal role in the development of rural infrastructures and the improvement of living standards of agricultural communities. With our support on the ground, executives are able to make a tangible difference to their business. Our advisory services, funded by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, focus on advancing the professionalism of farmer groups by customising training and coaching to teach required business skills, and enabling access to input financing to ensure the farmer’s success.”
And Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Cameron’s minister of agriculture and rural development, continued: “Agricultural and cooperative education, as much as the improvement of living standards in rural areas, are our priorities. With the Cargill Coop Academy, we see an inspirational initiative developed in Cameroon to the benefit of our cocoa farming communities.”
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