Lessons from the Ghanaian Shea Sector Study Trip

In February 2025, we travelled to Ghana alongside six other members of the inaugural steering committee for an association that is yet to be formed—a bold initiative to unify and strengthen Uganda’s Nilotica shea industry. This trip was more than just an educational tour; it was the first step toward building an organized, competitive, and sustainable shea sector in Uganda.

None of this would have been possible without the Climate Smart Jobs program, implemented by Palladium in Northern Uganda, which provided the groundwork for our mission, including financing the trip. Our goal? To learn from Ghana’s shea industry, which has successfully mobilized farmers, processors, and global brands into a thriving ecosystem.

Beyond studying about shea butter value chains, markets, and policies that make Ghana such a shea success story, the trip, particularly to the northeast shea belt of Ghana enabled me to have a more succinct understanding of the connections between shea, women, land, and culture in ways that transcend borders.

Before this trip, I had flipped through the pages of Brenda Chalfin’s Shea Butter Republic, a book that documents the history and political economy of shea butter in northern Ghana. Chalfin’s work focuses on Bawku, a town we didn’t visit, yet the essence of her book came alive in the most unexpected way—through our engagement with the women of Yumza Cooperative Society, just outside Tamale City.

As we sat among these women, watching them work and listening to them share their stories with the same dedication and expertise as the shea butter producers in Okere, I realized something powerful:

Like in Ghana, Ugandan women are not just the custodians of shea trees—they are the lifeblood of the entire value chain. They are the ones who wake up before dawn, collect fallen nuts, process butter with their bare hands, and pass down knowledge from generation to generation. When I shared this with them, I saw a spark of recognition in their eyes—a reminder that their work isn’t just economic, it’s ancestral.

I also shared a lesser-known cultural belief, especially among the Lango people of northern Uganda - in some communities, shea butter is said to have spiritual properties, playing a role in rituals, including one believed to restore the manhood of an impotent man, it's significance in both birth and death. The women nodded knowingly that they, too, understood the deeper significance of shea beyond its commercial value.

Walking through the cooperative’s compound, I felt an eerie sense of familiarity. The soil beneath my feet, the rocks scattered across the ground—it all looked like Okere. And with that, a fact I had always known but never physically confirmed became clearer than ever - Northern Ghana and Northern Uganda, though separated by a distance of over 5,000 kms, share the same ecological heartbeat. If Ghana could build a thriving shea industry, so could we.

Lessons from Ghana’s Shea Industry

Beyond the profound cultural connection, Ghana’s shea industry offered practical lessons that Uganda must urgently adopt.

A Strong Industry Alliance is Key

Ghana’s Global Shea Alliance (GSA) is a powerhouse, uniting farmers, processors, traders, and cosmetic brands under one umbrella. Uganda desperately needs a Nilotica Shea Alliance - one that:

·       Advocates for policy and trade support

·       Organizes stakeholders across Uganda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia (the only countries where nilotica shea trees thrive in their natural abundance).

·       Creates sustainable market linkages for nilotica shea butter

If we get this right, we won’t just be passive participants in the global shea industry since the nilotica shea contributes less than 10% of the global shea butter trade - we’ll be key players.

Positioning Nilotica Shea as a Premium Product

Ghana’s shea butter has secured a dominant position in global markets, largely due to strategic investment, well-established supply chains, and its positioning as a Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE) in chocolate production. This integration into the confectionery industry has driven large-scale demand, attracting government and private-sector support to strengthen the shea value chain.

Uganda’s Nilotica shea butter, by contrast, is a rarer and more delicate ingredient—softer, creamier, and richer in bioactive properties—making it highly desirable for the cosmetics industry. However, despite its premium quality, Nilotica shea struggles to gain traction in global markets for several reasons.

First, most cosmetic brands already rely on West Africa’s paradoxa shea butter, which is cheaper and more widely available. The robust shea sector in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria has created economies of scale that make paradoxa shea the default choice for many manufacturers. In contrast, Uganda’s shea sector remains underdeveloped, and the limited supply of Nilotica shea nuts makes large-scale production difficult.

Second, shipping Nilotica shea presents logistical challenges. Unlike paradoxa shea, which remains stable across different temperatures, Nilotica shea has a lower melting point and requires special handling to prevent degradation. These added complexities drive up costs, making it less attractive to international buyers looking for affordable raw materials.

Finally, a major barrier is the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) classification, which currently lumps Nilotica and paradoxa shea together under the same category (Butyrospermum parkii). This lack of differentiation prevents cosmetic companies from fully recognizing and marketing Nilotica shea’s unique properties. Without a separate classification, its distinct value remains unacknowledged, and it continues to be priced in comparison to the cheaper, more abundant West African shea.

To unlock its full potential, we must push for a distinct INCI classification for Nilotica shea—one that reflects its superior qualities and positions it as a luxury ingredient for high-end brands. With the right branding, policy advocacy, and market positioning, Nilotica shea can carve out a niche as an elite, ethically sourced, and scientifically validated ingredient that commands a premium price on the global stage.

Shea Parkland Restoration Must Be Urgent

Northeast Ghana’s shea belt witnessed a staggering loss of over 77% of its natural vegetation cover between 2000 and 2015, a wake-up call that echoes throughout Africa’s savannahs and woodlands. In Uganda’s Otuke District, the situation mirrors this, with the National Environmental Management Authority in Uganda estimating that about 40% of the shea trees’ cover vanished between 2000 and 2020. If we stand idle, the foundation of a thriving shea sector could crumble beneath our feet, taking with it the hopes of countless women, farmers, and communities that rely on it.

We learned that Ghana, however, has taken bold steps to halt the tide of destruction by implementation Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) practices which are enabling shea trees population to start increasing again. Working with traditional chiefs to sensitize and have access to land, Ghana is also implementing community-led shea tree planting programs have sparked a grassroots regeneration revolution. Moreover, the Incentive-based conservation models where cooperatives and local chiefs are rewarded for shea regeneration activities have also played significant roles.

·       Uganda must rise to the challenge, too—and the time to act is now. We could do this by:

·       Restoring our shea parklands through targeted replanting programs in school, churches and other community lands.

·       Empower local communities to lead conservation efforts, ensuring that the benefits of shea remain in the hands of the people who nurture it.

·       Adopt incentive-based models that make it profitable to conserve, not just extract, our natural resources.

·       Create policy frameworks that protect the shea tree while promoting innovation in processing and product development.

As I departed Ghana, I carried more than knowledge in my heart; I carried a renewed sense of purpose, a deep connection to the shea land, and a steadfast belief in what can be achieved when communities rally around a shared vision. Shea butter is not just an export commodity. It is a cultural jewel, a woman’s industry, and a heritage tree that links us across continents. From Okere to Tamale, from northern Uganda to northern Ghana, this shared heritage connects us, urging us to preserve what we have before it slips away. Ghana has lit the path with wisdom and resilience. Now, it’s our turn to plant the seeds for a future where the shea industry thrives, nourishes, and empowers generations to come.