On Thursday, 18 June 2026, Ivorian authorities officially opened a biochar production unit in Attinguié, located in the PK 31 industrial zone on the outskirts of Abidjan.
Led by the Valency International group, this industrial project aims to convert cashew shells—long treated as production waste—into high-value resources for the energy and industrial sectors.
The inauguration ceremony was chaired by Kalil Konaté, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts, alongside several administrative officials, institutional representatives and technical partners.
Billed as Africa’s first large-scale commercial facility dedicated to producing biochar from cashew shells, the plant can process nearly 20,000 tonnes of cashew processing waste each year. It is expected to generate roughly 6,000 tonnes of biochar, while also producing biofuel and energy through agricultural by-product valorisation technology.
According to the project promoters, this innovation will help reduce waste from the cashew nut industry while creating new economic opportunities around this strategic value chain.
“We are witnessing the transformation of agricultural by-products into strategic industrial resources,” said Minister Kalil Konaté, praising an investment that fosters local value creation and promotes a more sustainable industry.
Following the ceremony, the minister toured the facilities alongside executives from Valency International and Revata Carbon. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting innovative industrial projects that generate jobs and drive growth.
As the world’s leading producer of raw cashew nuts, Côte d’Ivoire continues its strategy to increase local cashew processing in order to maximise the economic benefits of this crop. With this new biochar unit, the country strengthens its ambition to develop an efficient processing industry while valorising agricultural by-products within a circular economy framework.
This infrastructure opens up new prospects for the cashew value chain and confirms the Ivorian authorities’ determination to make industrial processing a driver of sustainable economic development.
