Capital mobilisation
The deal mobilises USD 20 million of private sector investment into an FCAS country.
| Company | Robust International |
| Sector | Agri-infrastructure |
| Country | Côte d’Ivoire |
| Total Project Cost | USD 23m |
| PIDG Commitment |
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| Dates of PIDG involvement |
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Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest producer of raw cashew nuts but currently processes only circa 30% of its output in-market due to limited capacity and storage availability, as well as financing constraints. Processing cashews adds domestic value and export competitiveness; by enabling an increase in local processing, this deal will support government targets to process 50% of its cashews by 2030, promoting higher economic returns for the market.
PIDG via GuarantCo partnered with Symbiotics to arrange a USD 20 million debt facility for Robust International Pte Ltd to finance a cashew nut processing plant in Côte d’Ivoire.
The transaction will finance the development of a greenfield cashew nut processing plant with 15,000 MT/year processing capacity located in Toumodi. It will also support a new cashew aggregation warehouse centre with 25,000 MT/year capacity in Bouaké and 19,000MT/year capacity in Toumodi, which is expected to strengthen seasonal procurement and inventory management while reducing Robust’s reliance on leased warehousing.
This is the latest in a series of successful collaborations between GuarantCo, Symbiotics and M&G Investments, and their second transaction within Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew industry after a 2025 deal with another producer in the market. It is also their second transaction with Robust International following a deal announced earlier in 2026 in Nigeria, also supporting localised cashew processing.
The deal mobilises USD 20 million of private sector investment into an FCAS country.
The deal supports improved supply chain efficiency and market coordination through more structured procurement, aggregation, and quality control, while strengthening linkages with farmers, with Robust expecting to increase its direct farmer network from c.2,000 to 3,500+.
It is expected that the project will increase export revenue by USD 79.2 million over the lifetime of the guarantee (6 years).
The transaction will deliver measurable improvements under workforce and supply chain domains. Women are expected to fill 40% of short-term and 80% of long-term jobs, supported by progression pathways, inclusive workplace facilities and protections against GBVH. Robust also aims to increase women’s representation among its farmers from 29.5% to 40% by 2030 through targeted training, productivity support and access to formal markets.
The project applies circular economy principles by maximising resource efficiency and eliminating waste through the conversion of cashew shells into Cashew Nutshell Liquid (CNSL) and the reuse of residual shell cake by selling to a third party who will convert it to fertiliser.
