US, Global Shea Alliance Collaborate To Increase Shea Production In Nigeria

The US government hosted its annual conference in Abuja in collaboration with the Global Shea Alliance (GSA), a non-profit industry association dedicated to promoting sustainability, quality practices, and standards for shea in food and cosmetics.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by the United States Embassy in Nigeria, this year’s theme, ‘Bridging the Gap,’ focuses on closing the gap between the shea industry’s visionary goals and the urgent need for practical action. Nigeria boasts the largest population of shea trees and shea collectors, positioning the country as a potential hub for production, processing, and innovation in the food and cosmetics industries across West Africa.

The statement reads: “As the shea sector grows rapidly, today’s conference provides an opportunity to address challenges that limit market expansion, supply stability, resource management, climate adaptation, financing, women’s economic empowerment, and other issues.

President of the Global Shea Alliance, Mamatou Djaffo, said: “Over 10 years ago the Global Shea Alliance began with a set of structures built to advance women in the industry and we have come a long way by improving our processes with input from shea beneficiaries,” adding that: “At Shea 2024, we will be targeting discussion on park land management, resource conservation, women’s economic empowerment, youth involvement, digitalisation strategies and effective trade policies to further unearth potential in the shea value chain.”

The conference will bring together key stakeholders from across the shea industry to examine the challenges and barriers that impede the industry’s progress towards sustainability, including insufficient investment, new market opportunities, weak policy frameworks, and social inequalities. 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; Foster partnerships among governments, NGOs, businesses and local communities to align efforts and resources towards a common goal of sustainability.

The three-day day event is expected to attract over 500 participants and will feature presentations from industry professionals on the above themes.

On behalf of the United States government, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires David Greene, in his remark said: “The United States government is proud to support the Global Shea Alliance through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID recently invested more than $8 million under its Sustainable Shea Initiative to support the shea industry in seven West African countries, including Nigeria. ,