After years abroad and a career as a professional basketball player, he chose a completely different direction—one that brought him closer to Gambian farmers, local production and an industry with significant potential.

Today, Moses is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Smiling Coast Agro Processing Company (SCAPC), a Gambian company processing locally grown cashews in Tanji.

And when we visited the factory, we quickly realised that this story is about much more than cashews.

Why process elsewhere what we can process at home?

The Gambia grows cashews, yet growing the crop is only the beginning of the value chain.

When agricultural products leave a country as raw materials, much of the processing, packaging, employment and additional value can be created somewhere else. SCAPC is working to change that equation for Gambian cashews.

At its facility in Tanji, the company processes cashews for local and international markets. According to SCAPC, its semi-automated facility has the capacity to process up to 5,000 metric tonnes of raw cashew nuts annually and operates using solar and biomass energy. The company has also achieved international HACCP food-safety certification.

But numbers alone don't tell the full story.

Behind the machines are Gambian workers. Behind the cashews are farmers. And behind the company are people who believe that more value can—and should—be created here in The Gambia.

That is what stayed with us after our visit.

Coming home with a different purpose

Moses' journey into agro-processing was not an obvious one.

Before business and cashews, there was basketball. His professional career took him abroad and exposed him to a very different world. He later pursued further education and built international professional experience before turning his attention towards opportunities back home.

Instead of asking only what The Gambia could export, Moses and his partners began looking at what could actually be built, processed and developed here.

Today, you can walk into their factory in Tanji and see that idea taking physical form.

And cashews may only be the beginning.

This is a story we wanted to share

At My Gambia, we spend a lot of time telling stories about places to visit, where to stay and what to experience.

But The Gambia is also its people.

It is the people who return home with ideas. The farmers producing local crops. The entrepreneurs taking risks. The workers learning new skills. And the businesses trying to prove that Gambian products can compete beyond our borders.

That is why we sat down with Moses.

In our exclusive interview, he speaks about his journey from professional basketball to business, returning to The Gambia, building SCAPC, the challenges along the way and what he hopes to achieve next.

We could tell you the whole story here, but we would rather let Moses tell you himself.

Watch our full interview with Moses Sonko.

And if you are in The Gambia, go one step further. Visit Smiling Coast Agro Processing Company in Tanji, see the factory for yourself and try their locally processed cashews.

Because supporting local doesn't always require a big gesture.

Sometimes, it starts with knowing the story behind what you buy.

This interview was not paid for or sponsored. My Gambia chose to create it because we believe initiatives like this deserve greater visibility.

info@scapc.africa+220 83 557 6606

Smiling Coast Agro Processing Company

Smiling Coast Agro Processing Company (SCAPC) is a HACCP-certified, export-oriented cashew processing company based in Tanji, The Gambia. We specialize in sourcing and processing high-quality cashew kernels directly at origin, working closely with local farmers to ensure traceability, consistent grading,...

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