The fourth Session of the CICC Council of Ministers took place from December 17 to 20, 2021 at the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé, Cameroon. During this Session, the Presidency of the Institution passed from Burkina Faso to Cameroon with Mr. Gabriel MBAIROBE, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon as the current President.

Resolutions

During the third session of the CICC, six (06) Resolutions were adopted by the Council of Ministers.

1. Resolution on the mobilization of contributions from Member States
The Council of Ministers, after hearing the report of the Experts on the mobilization of contributions from Member States, instructs the Executive Secretary to take all necessary measures to provide Member States with useful information on the payment of said contributions. The Council of Ministers recalls that the contributions cover the budget years 2020, 2021 and 2022. It invites each Member State to pay its commitments amounting to seventy thousand (70,000) US dollars per year, or a total of two hundred and ten thousand (210,000) US dollars, no later than March 30, 2022, to enable the Executive Secretariat to cover the operating expenses and the organization of the CICC sessions.

2. Resolution on the development of the CICC strategic plan
The Council of Ministers mandates the President-in-Office to develop a 2023-2027 Strategic Plan for the CICC. To this end, it instructs the Executive Secretary to take all measures to have a strategic plan document available no later than December 31, 2022.

3. Resolution on the operationalization of the technical commissions of the non-permanent organs of the CICC
The Council of Ministers instructs the Executive Secretary to set up the non-permanent organs of the CICC taking into account the concerns of the Member States for the proper functioning of said organs.

4. Resolution on the CICC 2022 Action Plan and Budget
The Council of Ministers approves the 2022 Action Plan and the operating budget which amounts to USD 1,181,212 (FCFA 664,666,708). The Council of Ministers therefore invites the current President of the CICC to ensure the implementation of the action plan.

5. Resolution on the application for membership of Mozambique and Cambodia
The Council of Ministers approves the membership of Mozambique to the CICC as a Member by right. The Council of Ministers approves the membership of Cambodia to the CICC as an Observer Member for a period of two (02) years.

6. Resolution relating to requests for partnerships with the CICC
The Council of Ministers encourages the Executive Secretary of the CICC to develop, under the supervision of the President in office, partnerships with other national, regional and international organizations involved in the cashew sector.

Yaoundé, December 20, 2021
Gabriel MBAIROBE
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon

Final Press Release

The third session of the Council of Ministers of the International Cashew Consultative Council (CICC) held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 17 to 20 December 2019 designated Cameroon to host the fourth session, in accordance with the principle of rotation following the alphabetical order of countries. In application of this decision, the Cameroonian Government organized the 4th session of the CICC at the Hilton Hotel in Yaoundé on 20 December 2021.

This session brought together the Ministers and Representatives of the member countries, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. Guinea and Mali were not represented at this session.
• The session focused on the following agenda:
• Presentation of the Experts’ report;
• Adoption of the Minimum Action Plan and the 2022 minimum budget;
• Review of the membership of countries as ex officio members and observer members;
• Miscellaneous.
The deliberations of the Council of Ministers are contained in this Final Communiqué.

1- Presentation of the Final Report of the Meeting of Experts
The Council of Ministers takes note of the Final Report of the Meeting of Experts, read by Mr. Amos BASSIA BASSIA, Deputy Director of Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon, and congratulates them on the quality of the work carried out.

2- Action plan and budget 2022
The Council of Ministers approves the 2022 Action Plan and the operating budget which stands at 1,181,212 USD (664,666,708 FCFA). The Council of Ministers invites the current President of the CICC to ensure the implementation of the action plan.

3- Applications for membership of Mozambique and Cambodia
The Council of Ministers approves the membership of Mozambique to the CICC as a Member by right. The Council of Ministers approves the membership of Cambodia to the CICC as an Observer Member for a period of two (02) years.

4- Various provisions
In accordance with the convention establishing the CICC, the next session of the Council of Ministers will be held in Ghana, no later than December 2022. At the end of its work, the Council of Ministers pays a vibrant tribute to the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire for providing the CICC with the premises to house its headquarters and covering the rent over a period of three (03) years.

The Council of Ministers also congratulates and thanks the outgoing President Mr. Harouna KABORE, Minister of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts of Burkina Faso for having successfully carried out his mandate, despite the difficult context linked to the COVID 19 health crisis. It takes the opportunity to congratulate Dr. Jean Christophe ILBOUDO, newly appointed Minister of Industrial Development, Trade, Handicrafts and Small and Medium Enterprises of Burkina Faso.

Furthermore, the Council of Ministers of the CICC will be chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cameroon for the next term.
Finally, the Council congratulates and thanks the Government of Cameroon for its hospitality and the quality of the organization of this session.

Done in Yaoundé, December 20, 2021
The Council of Ministers.
Gabriel MBAIROBE
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

Participants
Countries:
Benin
Burkina Faso
Ivory Coast
Cameroon
Ghana
Guinea Bissau
Mozambique (Observer)
Nigeria
Togo
Senegal

Partners:
Alliance for African Cashew
BeninCaju/TechnoServe
ComCashew/GIZ
Developement Gateway
ENABEL-Benin
OACPS
ProCashew/CNFA
REDAA
World Bank, Ghana
Actors and Organizations of the cashew sector of Cameroon