Global Shea Alliance (GSA), a network of local and
international actors in the shea industry announced a US$13million dollar
investment project in the next 5years, geared towards facilitating 440 thousand
tons of shea exports annually.
Dubbed: “GSA Sustainable Shea Initiative”, the annual
export value of shea is projected to hit US$132million and is expected to
increase the incomes of shea collectors by over US$3.5million dollars.
USAID/West Africa Regional Economic Growth Office
Director, Dr. Mary Hobbs said this when she jointly launched the project with
GSA President Mr. Konate Moumouni in Tamale.
Under the project, the GSA will partner with 25
private sector partners and up to 250 women’s shea cooperatives to implement
promotional and sustainability activities in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigera. Also, 250 warehouses will be built throughout
West Africa whereas over 130 thousand women shea collectors would have their
capacity built so as to enable them organise into cooperatives and to use the
warehouses to conserve and sell shea nuts at higher prices directly to
exporters.
“In investing in and supporting the growth of the shea
industry is one means of helping to improve incomes for women and their
families”, Dr. Hobbs noted.
She, however observed, that there are serious
challenges that need to be addressed in order for the shea sector to continue
to grow, and to reward the many participants along the value chain.
She observed that despite growth in the use of shea in
both cosmetics and the food industry, the culinary and health benefits of using
shea are still not widely understood by potential end users.
“The fragmented and disorganised nature of shea supply
chains in Africa means that shea nut collectors, mostly women, rarely market
their product collectively. This reduces the income that women are able to
receive from their labours.
“Finally, shea trees take a long time to grow and
aren’t being planted and nurtured to fruit-bearing age at a rate that is fast
enough to match the rate of shea tree parkland decline. Unless more shea trees
are planted now, we may face a future supply crisis”, Dr. Hobbs warned.
Mr. Moumouni also indicated that, as part of the
project, initiatives targeted at improving the health and safety of women shea
collectors and processors will be launched.
“The GSA will also host international conference and
exhibitions in Africa, Europe and US as well as undertake research projects to
demonstrate the benefits of shea in food and cosmetics”, he added.
It is estimated that the shea sector in Ghana can yield one
hundred tonnes of shea nuts worth about 100 million United State dollars per
year. In Africa, 16million women are employed directly and indirectly in the
sector.
The economic importance of the shea tree cannot be over
emphasized. The mature kernel contains about 61% fat which when extracted is
edible, and can serve medicinal as well as industrial purposes.
Shea butter has been found to have a fat composition similar
to cocoa butter, and is used as a substitute for lard or margarine because it
makes dough highly pliable.
The residue of shea serves as excellent fuel, and can
also be mixed with mud for plastering traditional mud huts. The shea butter is
known to be naturally rich in Vitamins A, E, and F, as well as a number of
other vitamins and minerals.
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