Come April 2020, Ghana will host the Maiden Edition of the World Shea Expo in Tamale, the capital city of Northern Ghana.
This was revealed by Second Lady, Hajia Samira Bawumia during the launch of the Shea Expo in Accra on Monday, Dec 2nd.
This project aims at promoting Shea and building local and international markets for businesses while empowering women in the shea industry.
The World Shea Expo is themed “Repositioning the shea industry to accelerate Ghana’s diversification agenda within the context of Ghana Beyond Aid” and is scheduled to take place in April 2020.
Hajia Bawumia stated that over the last few decades, shea exports had increased by 600 percent and continue to bring stable income to rural communities across West Africa, especially Ghana. Statistics from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority indicated that the country exported a total of $90 million worth of Shea butter in 2018.
“We need to ensure that the hard-working women are getting the fair wages and prices they should get for the nuts.”- Bawumia
Mrs. Bawumia confirmed that the government is committed to addressing some of these challenges. They believe that the implementation of the Planting for Export and Rural Development initiative will increase shea export and boost rural and local economies.
