admin | August 14, 2025
News Brief
In Ayigbe, Ghana, 35-year-old Michael Kyereme paid off his university debt in three months by turning discarded cashew apples into juice. Through the MA-CASH project, youth are learning to make juice, snacks, compost, and animal feed from the fruit, reducing waste and creating income. Supported by Ghana’s scientific and government bodies and funded by Canada, the initiative trains young people to use all parts of the cashew apple. Kyereme hopes to expand his business and inspire more youth to join.
In Ayigbe, a rural community in Ghana’s Bono Region, 35-year-old Michael Kyereme paid off his university debt of GHS 3,500 (about US$335) in just three months.
But he didn’t do it with a high-paying job. Instead, he used a free and often-discarded resource: cashew apples.
Mr. Kyereme explains, “Cashew apples are easy to find, and free. Now I make about 60 bottles of juice a day and sell them through my wife’s shop and on social media like TikTok and WhatsApp.”
Cashew apples are the fleshy fruit attached to cashew nuts. In Ghana, most are thrown away during harvest. But through a project called Maximising Gains from Cashew Production for Youth Development (MA-CASH), young people are learning to turn the fruit into juice, snacks, compost, and animal feed.
MA-CASH is led by Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, with support from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and funding from Canada’s International Development Research Centre. The goal is to reduce waste and create income opportunities in rural areas.
Mr. Kyereme says,“Most alternative livelihoods require capital, but this one did not. That’s why I embraced it immediately.” He now hopes to invest in equipment and experiment with products like cashew apple kebabs and poultry feed.
Cashew apple waste is a big problem. Ghana produced more than 1.6 million tonnes in 2024, and 90% went to waste. Researcher George Asare says, “It’s a big loss both economically and nutritionally.”
The project addresses this by using all parts of the fruit. Leftover pulp becomes compost or feed, and experiments are under way to extend the shelf life from just 24 hours to several months. MA-CASH also promotes beekeeping under cashew trees to boost pollination and honey production.
The idea started when crop scientist Francisca Aba Ansah saw piles of rotting cashew apples during a field visit. Ms. Ansah says, “We used scientific processes to reduce tannin levels in the juice,” explaining that tannins can block nutrient absorption. To boost protein, her team added legumes, creating a vegetarian sausage. She says, “There was no significant difference between our sausage and commercial vegan sausage.”
So far, more than 300 young people in six communities have been trained, with the next session already fully booked.
Nutrition officer Daniel Kwame Antwi says, “We’ve focused too long on the nut. It’s time we explored the fruit.” Mr. Antwi adds that cashew apples are rich in carbohydrates, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
For Mr. Kyereme, the change has been life-altering. “This skill changed my life,” he says. “It’s a profitable business, and more young people want to join. We just need the machines and support to grow bigger.”
Photo: Youth participating in one of the training sessions. The science-led project trains them to make juice, sausage and compost, with zero waste. Copyright: Albert Oppong-Ansah / SciDev.Net
This story is adapted from an article written by Albert Oppong-Ansah for SciDev.Net, titled “Cashew waste a lucrative business for Ghana’s youth” To read the full story, go to: https://www.scidev.net/global/supported-content/cashew-waste-a-lucrative-business-for-ghanas-youth/