EFFECTS OF SHEA BUTTER PROCESSING ON RURAL LIVELIHOOD IN NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA.

Abstract

Recently, shea butter has emerged as a promising economic commodity and has gained international recognition because of its therapeutic properties. For industrial processors, shea butter is a low cost substitute product sold mainly into the Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE) markets and the bulk of shea produced in West Africa supplies these markets. It is the potentials of the commodity that informed this research. The study specifically sought to analyse the contribution of the shea butter industry to household basic needs in the region, challenges confronting those engaged in the industry and as well as examine the policy and regulatory environments of this very important sector or industry on which the livelihoods of many rural women depend. The study adopted the Descriptive Survey Research Design approach for data collection. This covered 111 respondents actively engaged in shea butter processing and 9 women groups from three selected districts of the Northern Region of Ghana, 1 governmental institution as well as 3 Non-Governmental Organisations engaged in the shea industry. The study revealed that shea butter processing m the region contributes to meeting the household basic needs of processors which include food, clothing, school expenses, medical/health needs as well as social obligations. However, there are challenges such as inadequate capital, low sale of butter, high cost /inadequacy of equipment, laboriousness of butter processing, poor nature of road network, lack of effective government policy, lack of skills and excessive heat resulting in illness and sometimes death.