(Ecofin Agency) - The Ghanaian capital Accra will host for two days, the 5th edition of the African Summit of Palm Oil and Rubber. The event, entitled “moving forward with sustainable oil palm in Africa and improving smallholder’s productivity; continued resilience of natural rubber in the face of challenges” will be held next 25-16 April.

During this summit, it will mainly be discussed, the issue of new investments in both sectors that enjoy long-term growth prospects. In fact, while the value of the global palm oil market could increase to $88 billion by 2022, demand in rubber will maintain its impetus by 2020.

Moreover, the sustainability of palm oil industry which is frequently pointed, both in terms of forest destruction and land conflicts with local populations, will also be discussed.

Various public and private operators including Flour Mills of Nigeria, the Luxembourg agro-industrial group Socfin, AfDB, the Anglo-Dutch firm Unilever as well as the Singaporean group Olam will take part in the event.

Let’s recall that Africa accounts for less than 5% of global palm oil production and is the third largest consumer of the oilseeds after Asia and Europe.

Espoir Olodo