The German Government’s development cooperation agency, GIZ, has undertaken a field visit to women engaged in the local shea industry in Wungu, a community in Ghana’s North East Region, to assess the impact of its collaborative shea programme aimed at reducing emissions and promoting sustainable agribusiness practices.
The visit was led by a delegation from GIZ, the implementing partner of the Women Shea Business Cooperatives initiative, which seeks to create economic value across the shea value chain while empowering its predominantly female workforce. The programme focuses on fostering green processing solutions that significantly reduce smoke emissions generated during traditional shea processing, thereby improving health outcomes, protecting the environment, and strengthening the sustainability of the sector.
The initiative is a three-and-a-half-year project implemented in partnership with global agribusiness firm Bunge and cooperative development organisation Agriterra under the develoPPP programme. It is designed to establish six independent women-led business cooperatives and support the livelihoods of more than 2,500 shea-collecting women and their communities across northern Ghana.
Agriterra provides technical expertise and knowledge-sharing in cooperative development and agribusiness management, while Bunge supports women’s economic empowerment, community value creation, and the conservation and regeneration of shea parklands.
Wungu, located approximately 535 kilometres away from the national capital, has emerged as a notable beneficiary of the programme, with measurable progress recorded in the reduction of smoke emissions from firewood used in shea processing. The introduction of improved processing technologies has lowered harmful emissions that contribute to climate change, reduced pressure on forest resources, and limited deforestation, an increasingly critical factor for maintaining access to international markets.
These environmental gains are particularly significant in the context of the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation, which links market access to verifiable deforestation-free supply chains. By promoting cleaner processing methods and protecting vegetative cover, the programme enhances the compliance of Ghana’s shea products with emerging global sustainability standards, especially in the European market.
Women remain the backbone of the shea industry. According to the Global Shea Alliance, approximately 16 million women across 21 African countries, from Senegal to South Sudan, depend on the shea tree for their livelihoods. In Ghana, women dominate every stage of the value chain, from harvesting and processing nuts to producing and marketing shea butter for both domestic and international markets.
Prospects for Ghana’s shea industry continue to strengthen, as Government targets annual revenues of up to US$640 million under the 24-Hour Economy initiative. In 2024, the sector recorded a significant rise in export earnings, increasing from US$42.3 million to US$82.1 million, positioning shea as Ghana’s second-largest agricultural export after cocoa.
This development positions Wungu as a growing economic hub within Ghana’s shea industry, with increased export potential anchored in environmentally sustainable production. As demand for deforestation-free products rises globally, communities such as Wungu stand to benefit from preferential market access and enhanced trade competitiveness in environmentally conscious markets, particularly within the European Union.
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