The National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), has vowed to resist any attempt to manipulate Nigeria’s cashew industry roadmap.
The position was adopted at the 2026 Annual General Meeting AGM of the association held in Abuja, on the sidelines of the 4th Nigeria Cashew Day.
The meeting followed the Nigeria Cashew Summit themed Unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s cashew industry through investment, innovation and global trade. The event was jointly organised by NCAN and the African Cashew Alliance
.
In a communiqué, the Association resolved that all segments of the cashew value chain must be convened in a single forum to review the roadmap document before any validation.
NCAN warned that any clandestine review or collusion by individuals or organisations to influence the roadmap would be treated as a deliberate attempt to undermine farmers and compromise the integrity of the sector. The association said such actions would be resisted through all available legal and regulatory measures.
The communiqué jointly signed by Ojo Joseph Ajanaku, national president, Unekwuojo Augustine Edime, national secretary, Sunday Uzoechi, chairman, Board of Trustees, and Abraham Adesina, secretary, Board of Trustees, all of NCAN.
The AGM also resolved to expel Ademola Adesokan from the Association over allegations of impersonation and related criminal conduct.
NCAN said Adesokan unlawfully convened a purported interim executive council and an unauthorised AGM in Lagos on January 20, 2026. The Association noted that Adesokan, who registered as a member in June 2025, attempted to assume leadership roles within three months, in violation of the NCAN Constitution 2017, noting that the constitution requires at least two consecutive years of paid membership dues and active participation before eligibility for executive office.
The AGM further cited a breach of constitutional provisions that vest exclusive authority to convene AGMs in the president of the association.
NCAN also called for a full investigation into Babalola Faseru over alleged conivance with Adesokan in activities considered illegal and contrary to the association’s constitution. Possible disciplinary action will be considered at the next AGM.
On institutional matters, the AGM acknowledged the memorandum of understanding with VINACAS and resolved to ensure timely development and implementation of the agreed framework.
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Vacant offices arising from the demise of the vice president south south and the financial secretary are to be filled through nominations from the affected zones, in line with established association procedures.
The AGM also resolved to review the NCAN Constitution to clearly define the functions of the board of trustees and strengthen governance structures. The president was mandated to expedite the formation of a constitution review committee, with ratification scheduled for the next AGM or an extraordinary AGM if required.
On production, the AGM endorsed a 500 million cashew seedling production and distribution programme for 2026, led by the Office of the Vice President Kashim Shettima. The initiative builds on the distribution of 120,000 seedlings by NCAN in 2025.
The AGM mandated the president to liaise with the vice president’s office to advance cashew production nationwide.
At the Nigeria Cashew Summit, stakeholders resolved to sustain industry growth through a balanced, market driven framework that expands output, protects farmer incomes and accelerates domestic value addition.
Participants agreed that domestic processing capacity must be urgently scaled through public private partnerships, processing and aggregation clusters, improved access to affordable finance, reliable energy supply and efficient trade and logistics infrastructure.
Processors were encouraged to adopt backward integration models, including out grower schemes and structured commodity partnerships, to secure raw material supply and improve farmer productivity.
The summit further resolved that incentive based policies, rather than restrictive trade measures, should drive investment. These include tax reliefs, tariff concessions, export financing frameworks, blended finance instruments and targeted intervention funds.
Stakeholders also agreed to strengthen quality assurance, certification, traceability and compliance with international standards to enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in global markets.
Domestic and international investors were urged to explore opportunities across the cashew value chain, including processing, storage, logistics, product diversification, by product utilisation and AfCFTA enabled regional trade.
