Gambia Launches $800,000 Project to Fix Food Safety, Unlock $75m in Cashew Exports

The Gambia on Friday launched an ambitious $800,000 project to overhaul food safety standards in the cashew sector, with officials projecting it could recover up to $75 million in export revenue lost annually to non-compliance.

The initiative, “Enhancing Food Safety Practices to Unlock Market Access for Gambian Cashew,” is funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility and will be implemented by UNIDO.

Madodou Bah, Director General of the Food Safety and Quality Authority [FSQA], said the project directly supports FSQA’s mandate to protect public health and enable fair trade.

An evidence-based assessment prioritized cashew, he noted, because investment in sanitary and phytosanitary capacity there offers the highest potential returns.

Fatou Samba Njie, FSQA Board Representative, said food safety is now a trade requirement, not just a health issue.

“Compliance must be seen as an investment in competitiveness,” she said. “Our goal is for ‘Made in The Gambia’ to be recognized globally for safe, quality and reliable products.”

Isatou Bah, STDF Representative, said the project was chosen through a collaborative process. “Success will be measured by whether businesses can meet international food safety requirements and whether Gambian products enter more markets,” she said.

Dr Gabor Molnar, UNIDO Industrial Development Officer, said the project aims to strengthen the legal framework for food safety, build farmer and processor capacity in good practices including HACCP and traceability.

The project will also pilot digital food safety tools to improve monitoring and compliance.

Mod Secka, Minister of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment, officially launched the project.

“Producing a commodity is not the same as producing a competitive export product,” Secka said. “Food safety is the foundation for market access and consumer confidence.”

He urged farmers, processors, regulators and exporters to take ownership to ensure results are sustained.

Officials said while cashew is the immediate focus, the systems, skills and standards developed will strengthen the national food control system and benefit other value chains.

The Gambia is among Africa’s top cashew producers, but has struggled to meet EU and other export market requirements. Government says closing that gap is key to increasing farmer incomes and foreign exchange earnings.