The Foundation for Research and Development (FoRD-Ghana), has provide technical support to three Shea butter processing groups in Kpaatili, Kpatinga and Kpisinga in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern region.
These three communities among others, have been benefiting from FoRD-Ghana’s interventions which are mainly aimed at helping improve the economic well-being of the residents, especially the women.
A total of 40 women from Kpaatili, 40 from Kpatinga and 40 from Kpisinga were trained on how to use Shea butter for the production of bar soap, liquid soap and pomade.
Majority of the women in these communities are engaged in Shea butter processing as their main livelihood, but continue to face the challenge of marketing after production. Many of them lose capital during times when there is no market for the produced Shea butter, or when pricing for the commodity drops.
Speaking in an interview after the training, Program Manager for FoRD-Ghana, Mr. Shayawu Fuseini indicated that “the objective of the training by FoRD-Ghana, was aimed at empowering the women, to enable them diversify in their production, by using Shea butter to make other economically valuable products like bar soap, liquid soap and skin pomade, to allow them tap into multiple sources of income for their livelihood and economic empowerment”.
The women beneficiaries expressed appreciation to FoRD-Ghana and their partners, for providing the training, which they say will go a long way to help raise their economic conditions.
Some of the women say the diversity introduced for making the other products using Shea butter as raw material, will allow for them to have an all year round livelihood support even when prices of the butter drops, since they can still have economic use for it to support their families.
The training by FoRD-Ghana for the three women groups in the three communities in the Gushegu Municipality, is funded by Global Affairs Canada, and supported by PLAN International-Ghana, under the Women Voices and Leadership (WVL) program.
