With nearly 82% of West Africa’s cashew kernel output, Côte d’Ivoire has firmly established itself as the region’s leading cashew processing hub. In 2025 alone, the country processed around 600,000 tons of raw cashew nuts – driving a 51% surge in regional processing volume and signaling a decisive move away from raw nut exports toward higher-value domestic processing.
This transformation has not happened by accident. The government of Côte d’Ivoire has put in place a comprehensive set of incentives designed to attract investment and scale up domestic processing capacity. These include a subsidy of 400 CFA francs ($0.71) per kilogram of exported cashew kernels, and full exemption from customs duties and value-added tax on imported processing equipment. Underpinning these measures is a national target to process at least 50% of raw cashew production locally by 2030.
These measures have driven significant growth: processed volumes surged from 43,700 tonnes in 2017 to 344,000 tonnes in 2024, before accelerating sharply to 600,000 tonnes in 2025. Large-scale cashew processing hubs and new factory projects are currently under development across the country to sustain this momentum and achieve the ambitious industrial target.
For investors and processors, this transformation opens a strategic opportunity – infrastructure is expanding, government incentives remain in place, and demand continues to grow. Côte d’Ivoire, and West Africa more broadly, is entering a phase of industrial-scale processing growth that is unlikely to slow. The processors and investors who move early to establish or upgrade modern, high-efficiency facilities will be best placed to capture long-term value as this market matures.
Part of this growing industry, PSL Machinery stands ready as an ideal one-stop partner for investors and processors looking to act on this opportunity. With over 20 years of industry expertise and a fully integrated cashew factory service offering, PSL Machinery provides everything needed to build or upgrade a world-class cashew processing factory.
Contact our team today for a free expert consultation and take the first step toward your next cashew factory project!