About 150 women in selected shea cooperatives from the Northern Region have been empowered through capacity building to improve on their trade.
Also, about 300 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the value chain of have been offered critical support to enhance their businesses and liaise with the producer to offtake the commodity. They were trained in business ethics, how to access financial products, and tackle gender-related barriers – such as lack of access to childcare for women in the shea value chain.
The objective of Women in Shea is to help boost Shea production, while the SMEs are to build good customer relationships as well good business management to ensure sustainability of the Shea trade sector. Business coaching, entrepreneurship support and digital technologies are also integrated to enhance traceability and market linkages for the beneficiaries.
The three-year programme is expected to address key barriers in the value chain, which will unlock the significant earning potential of value chain actors including collectors, the cooperatives and SMEs.
The shea value chain in Ghana is dominated by women, and addressing the systemic barriers that limit young women in the sector from reaching their full economic and social potential will help to reduce the poverty rate.
It was observed that the capacity provided to beneficiaries has helped to improve on activities of the value chain actors which has also encouraged more youths to venture into the sector to harness opportunities. It has also helped to improve the lives of rural women who are the Shea industry’s backbone.
The Managing Director of Global Shea Alliance (GSA), Aaron Adu, in an interview noted that the initiative came to being after management observed that despite commitment and dedication they were recording low productivity, hence the initiative to build their capacity and also provide them with the needed tools to grow their businesses.
The training was also to make the sector more attractive and lucrative for more youth to venture and increase employment in the sector. He noted that the GSA is committed to promoting industry sustainability, quality practices and standards given the demand for Shea in food and cosmetics.
