To better support players in the cassava sector, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (CCI Benin), organized in collaboration with the Chamber of Agriculture of Benin (CAB), an economic debate on the opportunities related to semi-industrial or industrial processing of cassava in Benin. It was this Thursday, March 02, 2023 at the headquarters of the consular chamber in Cotonou.
Gather around the same table, the stakeholders in the development of the cassava sector for fruitful exchanges; inform the actors about the promotion strategies implemented by the public authorities; make information available on the support methods for TFPs working in the cassava sector and encourage investment projects in the sector. These are the objectives pursued by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (CCI Benin), by organizing in collaboration with the Chamber of Agriculture of Benin (CAB), the economic debate which knew the presence of various actors .
On the occasion of the launch of the exchanges, Raymond ADJAKPA ABILE, Secretary General of the CCI Benin thanked the participants for the first economic debate.
The summary of the study report on the cassava sector, which is a very promising sector because of the opportunities it offers to companies, was presented to the participants by Koukou Dodji Hyppolyte, coordinator of the OCIS. According to him, it is all the actors who are gathered for the economic debate, whether it is the central State, private actors or professional organizations. Since cassava is more processed manually in Benin, the ambition, according to the OCIS coordinator, is to change the paradigm.
“We want to move from the artisanal course to a semi-industrial or industrial transformation. This is the subject of the economic debate,” explained Koukou Dodji Hyppolyte.
“In terms of opportunities in the cassava sector, (…) for example with cassava flour, we can substitute wheat that we don’t produce. With cassava, you can make spaghetti; starch to do many things. We need to process cassava. We are lucky that cassava is produced everywhere in Benin. This is a great opportunity”, indicated the coordinator of the OCIS. Other communications on the opportunities offered by the cassava sector were presented to the participants. The themes focused on the support systems set up by the Benin CCI to encourage the processing of agricultural products; the challenges related to the intensification of cassava production in Benin to ensure a better supply of raw material to industries. A communication was presented on the potential of Benin in agriculture with an emphasis on cassava; State policy in the area of agricultural development; the contribution of the cassava sector to the national economy; challenges related to the development of the cassava sector in Benin.
It should be noted that it was Professor Albert Honlonkou, Managing Director of Eneam and President of the Scientific Council of the Observatory of Trade in Industry and Services (OCIS) who moderated the exchanges. As a reminder, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Benin (CCI Benin) has set up an economic observatory called “Observatory of trade in industry and services (OCIS)”. The OCIS has carried out several sectoral studies, including one on the cassava sector. The report of this study reveals opportunities for potential investors in the semi-industrial and industrial sector.
Abdul Wahab ADO