cashew
ZAMBIA CASHEW SECTOR KEY FIGURES
| Total Project Cost (Phase 1) | AfDB Loan | Smallholder Farmers Targeted | Phase 2 Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD 55.42 million | USD 45 million | 60,000 | USD 66.5 million |
The African Development Bank financed 81.2% of Zambia’s USD 55.42 million Cashew Infrastructure Development Project with a USD 45 million loan, targeting 60,000 smallholder farmers across ten Western Province districts, with a USD 66.5 million second phase outlined in the Bank’s 2024-2029 Country Strategy Paper for Zambia.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock implemented the five-year first phase, launched in November 2016, in Mongu, Limulunga, Senanga, Kalabo, Nalolo, Sikongo, Shangombo, Sioma, Lukulu and Mitete districts, targeting 30,000 women and 7,000 youth among beneficiaries each planting one hectare of 100 cashew trees.
The Cashew Infrastructure Development Project
The African Development Bank approved a USD 45 million loan, 81.2% of the USD 55.42 million total cost, for Zambia’s Cashew Infrastructure Development Project, with the Government of Zambia contributing USD 8.31 million, or 15.0%, and beneficiaries contributing USD 2.11 million, or 3.8%[1]. Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock over five years from November 2016, the project covers Mongu, Limulunga, Senanga, Kalabo, Nalolo, Sikongo, Shangombo, Sioma, Lukulu and Mitete districts of Western Province and is structured around three components: support to the cashew value chain, covering irrigation infrastructure for nurseries and clone gardens, cashew plantation rejuvenation and establishment, and cashew processing and marketing infrastructure; capacity building; and project management[1]. The project directly targets 60,000 smallholder farmers, including 30,000 women and 7,000 youth, each planting one hectare of 100 cashew trees, and aims to generate about 6,000 full-time jobs, 3,000 for rural women and 1,000 for youth, across cashew nursery, production, processing and marketing operations[1].
Phase 2 and Continued AfDB Support
A second phase of the Cashew Infrastructure Development Project, valued at USD 66.5 million, is outlined for potential implementation under the African Development Bank’s Country Strategy Paper for Zambia covering 2024 to 2029[2]. That strategy sets two priority areas for Bank support in Zambia: boosting private sector development through infrastructure investment, aimed at raising productivity, enhancing trade competitiveness and diversifying the economy, and agricultural value chain development targeting job creation for women and youth, the same population priorities the original cashew project targeted[2].
Investment Opportunities
Of the project’s three components, cashew processing and marketing infrastructure sits alongside primary production and nursery investment as a named, AfDB-financed sub-component, marking processing capacity in Western Province, historically the more underdeveloped end of Zambia’s cashew value chain relative to raw production, as a specific area the project itself was structured to build out[1]. With a USD 66.5 million second phase already outlined in the Bank’s current Country Strategy Paper on top of the USD 55.42 million first phase, continued donor-backed capital deployment into the same Western Province cashew corridor is the explicit direction of AfDB’s own forward planning for the sector[1][2].
Last Update: September 2026
