• Is the oil palm sector in West Africa aligned with government and development partners?
  • Overall, the oil palm sector in West Africa is not bristling with government and development partner initiatives. In the absence of strong policy and development partner support, SWAPP can be considered aligned or in any case not in contradiction or dupli- cative.
  • Is the oil palm value chain structured in West Africa?
  • On a macro level, it is noted that the oil palm value chain in West Africa is far less structured than in cocoa, for example.
  • Are oil palm SMEs a viable investment option in West Africa?
  • Oil palm SMEs in West Africa, however, have not yet progressed to the level where they could attract any serious level of international or local capital investment. Artisanal mills are generally too small and disorganised to be bankable, farmers operate in isolation, and crop aggregation is weak.
  • How many palm oil companies are there in Africa?
  • More than 300,000 hectares (741,300 acres) of them are owned by just five companies: Socfin, Wilmar, Olam, Siat, and Straight KKM. Socfin is the largest industrial palm oil producer in Africa, with nearly 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) planted in seven countries.
  • Is Africa open for investment in the palm oil sector?
  • The message is clear: Africa is open for investment in the palm oil sector, but will only welcome investments that comply with these principles. These apply as much to local producers as to international investors. One of Africa¡¯s challenges is that it consumes around 15% of global palm oil production, far more than it produces.
  • Can the sopwa project study design investigate ecological impacts of oil palm cultivation?
  • Data collection In this paper, we use canopy cover, ground vegetation cover, and soil temperature data from our plots, as a case study to demonstrate the utility of the SOPWA Project study design for investigating the ecological impacts of traditional and industrial oil palm cultivation, and to provide contextual data for forthcoming studies.