It isn’t the profile normally associated with a global trading competitor: fifth-poorest country in the world, an estimated per capita income of $180 (US) a year, and a life expectancy of just 44 years.

But small business owners in Guinea-Bissau are becoming international traders in processed cashew nuts, a luxury item more resistant to the falling prices that have punished African coffee and cotton farmers– thanks, in part, to the innovative efforts of EnterpriseWorks Worldwide.

For the last two years, EWW has been working with small cashew producers in the country, helping them become more productive—which has created jobs, doubled the incomes of many participants, and allowed the small country to compete on the global market.

Since August 2001, processing units and other enterprises assisted by EWW have created more than 550 new jobs. To put that figure into perspective, Guinea-Bissau has fewer than 100 private sector businesses employing more than 10 people. The progress is especially vital in an economy devastated by civil war in 1998-99. Many of the newly employed are women, and through an innovative partnership with Handicap International, some are disabled.

“What we have here are people who, against all odds, are determined to take risks, start their own businesses, and find a way to succeed,” said Gigi Goodhart, EWW’s Director in Guinea-Bissau. “We’ve helped them find that way.”

EWW’s approach has been not only to make each small business more productive, but also to show owners how they can band together to reach wider markets. EWW helped to establish the ATCCajú association, which will represent processors in the country long after the EWW project concludes.

Each month, 35 facilities established with EWW assistance produce around 13 tons of cashews, valued conservatively at $36,000. “Nô Fiança” and other brands are now being sold throughout Guinea-Bissau and as far away as Guinea-Conakry, Cape Verde, and Portugal.

One shipping container of processed cashews can support the jobs of 150 people, and one shelling machine can provide jobs for five people. Prior to EWW, however, the only available sheller was an imported machine costing $248, putting it out of the reach of most producers. EWW adapted a common sheller design and trained local craftsmen to produce and sell it for only $80.

The project, which receives its funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State, continues to expand its outreach by assisting with training, equipment design, quality control, and marketing.

Richard Allan Roth, U.S. ambassador to the Republics of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, said, “EnterpriseWorks is one of the more effective development organizations…the local economic activity their projects create is critical to the recovery in Guinea-Bissau.”