Global Shea Alliance conference to target workers' rights amid new government and industry partnerships

31 Jan 2024 --- The multi-billion dollar shea industry remains a crucial focus for West Africa and the rest of the world, with industry, government bodies and NGOs such as the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) working to improve the sector with an eye to sustainability and policies to protect workers — predominantly women in West Africa.

In March, GSA will hold its Shea 2024 conference in Nigeria under the theme, “Bridging the Gap.” It will focus on “closing the divide between the visionary goals of the shea industry and the urgent need for practical action.” 

The NGO will discuss parkland management, resource conservation, women’s economic empowerment, youth involvement, digitalization strategies and trade policies to “further unearth potential in the shea value chain.” 

Cindy Laird, communications manager at GSA, tells Personal Care Insights conference registration is open, and key stakeholders across the shea industry will:

Identify barriers
Examine the challenges and barriers that hinder the industry’s progress toward sustainability, including insufficient investment, new market opportunities, weak policy frameworks and social inequalities.

Share success stories
Showcase examples of initiatives and projects that have successfully bridged the gap between the industry’s vision and present reality, emphasizing lessons learned and best practices.

Promote collaboration
Foster partnerships among governments, NGOs, businesses and local communities to align efforts and resources toward a common goal of sustainability.

GSA and the German government to “drive investment from the private sector into building an improved supply chain, further enhancing the shea industry.”German government collaboration
We recently connected with GSA and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), a federal agency focusing on sustainable development & international educational work.

GIZ told us about their plans to “drive investment from the private sector into building an improved supply chain, further enhancing the shea industry.”

A spokesperson for the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) says the “Shea Investment and Jobs Creation Program” is a public-private partnership supported by the German government and private sector “with matching contributions and a total financial volume of about €1.3 million (US$1.4 million).”

BMZ says the program, which started in December 2023, will officially launch in the first quarter of this year to create “2,600 new good jobs, enable training for 2,250 people and improve working conditions of 5,250 people in the shea sector in both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.”

The collective goal will be achieved by “supporting the creation of 25 new farmer cooperatives [and] working with 20 existing cooperatives to increase the speed of implementation and impact,” adds BMZ.

GSA’s managing director, Aaron Adu, recently touted the program as representing “the positive role that public-private partnerships play in advancing the shea industry’s impact on livelihoods and sustainability…underscoring our commitment to empowering women, promoting economic growth and enhancing the quality of shea products in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.”

Support for women shea collectors
According to BMZ, shea collection and processing is primarily done by women, who represent 90% of its target group. 

GSA recently told us the shea industry is under threat, with roughly 8 million shea trees uprooted annually, damaging employment for rural women throughout major production regions despite continued growth in product launches. Hence, the calls for industry and government collaboration to improve supply chain transparency and environmental sustainability while protecting workers’ rights. 

Supply chain obstacles
Nathanael Boakye Mensah, technical advisor at GIZ Ghana, is hopeful the program will work to overcome four investment obstacles within the shea supply chain in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire: “Limited market access, high transaction costs associated with direct sourcing, low product quality and insufficient knowledge on shea usage by European companies.”

Adu at GSA adds that the program will help 50 European companies optimize the use of shea in their products with the “interventions collectively enhancing the structure of the value chain, elevating the quality of shea products and facilitating increased direct sourcing by private sector companies, subsequently boosting shea sales volumes and enabling market expansion in Europe.Nut butter is found in many cosmetic products thanks to its high concentration of moisturizing fatty acids and vitamins.”

According to the NGO, almost all of the shea produced in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Burkina Faso is used by the food industry, with about 15% absorbed by the cosmetics sector to make products ranging from hair treatments for dry hair to anti-aging creams.

Data from Innova Market Insights suggests a 10% average annual growth in the mention of shea in global personal launches from July 2018 to June 2023.

Seventy-one percent of the claims used in products with shea from July 2022 to June 2023 were Moisturizing & Hydrating.

Europe led the launches with a 45% share from July 2022 to June 2023.

Mary Kay’s sustainable beauty alliance
Nut butter is found in many cosmetic products thanks to its high concentration of moisturizing fatty acids and vitamins. Its popularity helped create a multi-billion dollar industry with companies like Mary Kay offering various shea products. 

Late last year, the US beauty brand talked to us about its partnership with GSA for sustainable shea butter and pointed to solid demand for shea with expectations of even more growth “...especially in the food and cosmetics sectors [as] consumers look for natural and sustainable alternatives to other oils…We foresee the need for more innovation-thinking and collaboration among shea stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities in the sector.”

The US beauty brand is optimistic the alliance will “further harness the transformative potential of shea in skin care and cosmetics.”

GSA’s program with the German government is expected to wrap up next year, and its conference is set for March 5-7 in Abuja, Nigeria.

By Anita Sharma