Abstract

Amos Gyau, Charlie Mbosso, Zac Tchoundjeu, Divine Foundjem-Tita, Ebenezer Asaah and Steven Franzel

Kola plays an important role in the livelihoods of people in the North West region of Cameroon.
However, the potential benefits of the product have not been fully exploited due to many problems
including ineffective marketing techniques. In an attempt to address this problem, some organisations
like the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) have facilitated the producers of kola to embark on group
sales as a means to improve their marketing performance. During the first 5 years of implementation of
this programme, there was no clear picture about the impact of the marketing intervention programme
on the marketing performance of the farmers. This paper discusses the main antecedents and
producers’ perception of the effects of the group sales on the supply chain performance of kola
producers in Cameroon. Using open ended interviews with 50 farmers, the paper reveals that group
sales has the potential to improve kola supply chain performance through increase in prices, quantity
harvested and sold, and increase in number of producers involved in the group.