Shea Business Empowerment
Target Impact
In partnership with GSA, the three-year program is a USD 5.74 million commitment from the Foundation to empower cooperatives and SMEs in the shea value chain in Northern Ghana with business coaching and entrepreneurial skills support. To do this, the Global Shea Alliance is working alongside sub-partners including Advans Ghana, Women for Change, Agrocenta, the Softribe, and other sustainability partners. This support is helping to facilitate access to capital and markets, to transform ad-hoc informal operators into well-structured small cooperatives and leverage digital technologies for traceability and market linkages.
Status: Active
Country
Ghana
Period
Jan 2022- Dec 2024
Industries
Agriculture
Impact to Date
++
The use of tricycles has increased kernel collection, resulting in an increase in productivity and in volumes of shea products.
11,100
11,000 pieces of health and safety equipment, enabling more kernels to be collected
24,498
24,498 women cooperatives have broadened their knowledge by receiving pricing information and training on best practices of processing and can now negotiate for higher prices with private buyers.
Partnership Focus
Provision of tricycles and warehousing services.
Business coaching and training.
Pilot crêche services to provide access to safe, early education for young children and optimize working hours for women shea collectors and processors.
Create partnerships with universities to support business attachment programs for students to gain work experience in the shea value chain.
Develop a traceability application to meet the industry’s growing demands, resulting in increased incomes for shea collectors.
Develop a trade application to onboard shea businesses and cooperatives to facilitate easy access to markets and increase profits.
In Partnership With
The Global Shea Alliance (GSA) is a non-profit industry association with 919 members from 39 countries including women’s groups, brands and retailers, suppliers, and NGOs. Through public-private partnership, the GSA promotes industry sustainability, quality practices and standards, and demand for shea in food and cosmetics.
Contact Information